Losing a Bet, and Turning Hanyou
by AiydanWarrior
Summary: After losing a bet, Kagome makes Inuyasha stay a month in her time. That leads to annoying classmates, irritating teachers, Inuyasha and Kagome almost killing each other, and a strange demon appears and puts a curse on Kagome. Is it really a curse though?
1. Bets, Dates, and Agruments

**AN:** Hello, Guardian_angel here, as well as Corisu Li and we are back in business at writing Inuyasha stories. I know that It's been nearly three years since my last story, which I had to delete because I had no more ideas to further it. So I have a new modified story that will probably take a while but I hope my fellow readers like it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, or anything related to the wonderful anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do own some characters that you will soon see pop up in this story, but I'm not spoiling it. So enjoy and please tell me what you think.

**Chapter One: Bets, Dates, and Arguments **

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Kagome awoke from a really weird dream she had the previous night. It involved Inuyasha being a chibi version of himself and she was a giant. She had captured him and had put him in doll house. She had forced him to wear a maid outfit, and he had to clean the house she put him in. She smiled mocking because of the situation of Inuyasha being the weaker one, and she being the all controlling one. Then all of a sudden, Suota appeared and broke Inuyasha out of the dollhouse. He then proceeded to run off with him, on his rainbow unicorn, leaving the confused giant behind. That's when Kagome woke up. Back to reality, Kagome laughed at seeing the source of her chuckle on the ground glaring at her.

"Kagome, why do I have to stay here for an entire month?" Inuyasha whined as Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Inuyasha, that's what you get for betting against me at Janken. You know I would win, but did you listen to me? No." Kagome said gloating her victory at the unfortunate half-demon.

"Yes, but I don't bet to be made a fool of. Why must you humans wear such ridiculous clothing?" Inuyasha asked as he picked at the tie on his uniform.

"I don't know, Inuyasha, but at least it's the high school uniform and not that boring middle school uniform I wore during the time I met you." She pointed out. "That and the school I go to now is less annoying." Kagome added as Inuyasha nodded in agreement.

"Hurry up, Kagome-nee-chan! C'mon, we're gonna be late, Inu-no-onii-chan!" Souta shouted from the bottom of the stairs. Inuyasha stood, looking distinctly uncomfortable in the school uniform Kagome turned to look at him, laughing inside at the tough, unyielding hanyou who now looked like any normal schoolboy...well, if you ignored the intense white hair...the cute little doggy ears...and the golden eyes...

Kagome realized that she was staring and quickly looked away, blushing furiously. She was acting like a star-struck fan did at a celebrity. She made a big act of rummaging in her closet until she pulled out a hat that matched perfectly with Inuyasha's blue school uniform. She tugged it on over his ears. If it was possible for him to look any more annoyed, he did now.

"Now don't scare my classmates. They still need their heads." Kagome said as the half-demon chuckled at Kagome's choice of words.

"I ain't gonna promise to behave." Inuyasha mumbled.

Kagome rolled her eyes at his poor choice of grammar. "You definitely need to pay attention in grammar class." She said as she got an "Feh" in return.

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"Hey Kagome-chan! Who's your friend?"

"Wow! He's cuuute!"

"I like his hair!"

"Well, I like his eyes the best!"

Inuyasha and Kagome stood in the middle of the classroom while the entire class bombarded Kagome with questions. Inuyasha, meanwhile, was getting poked and prodded. Girls kept pulling at his hair, staring into his eyes, or examining his nails. He looked as if he was seriously contemplating opening a window and tossing them all outside. At an especially hard yank on his hair, he changed his mind. Maybe he wouldn't bother to open the window...

Just when he thought he could take no more, and Kagome was running out of answers, the door opened and the teacher arrived. The class hurried to take their seats, Inuyasha choosing the one right behind Kagome.

Mrs. Namoi smiled around at the class, then spoke as her eyes settled on Inuyasha, who was trying desperately to fit in, and failing miserably due to his hair. "And who might you be, young man?"

Red in the face, Inuyasha slowly stood from his position behind Kagome, remembering her instruction on being polite. "My name is Takahashi Inuyasha."

"And what brings you to our classroom?" Mrs Namoi asked, oblivious to the stares of her students at hearing that their new peer's name was 'Dog-Demon'.

"I'm a friend of Kagome's, here on vacation from Kyoto for a month." He replied, continuing to be polite. "Thank you Inuyasha, I welcome you to Tokyo." The teacher said as she motioned for Inuyasha to take his seat and began to lecture the class, all but Inuyasha listening attentively. He was thinking of how easily he could run his fingers through Kagome's hair and make it look accidental...but he smothered the thought and instead stared off into nowhere.

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Kagome tried her best to keep Inuyasha from offending people, and she finally managed to convince him not to shove any more people to the ground. This didn't keep him from shooting evil glances at anyone who dared look his way or cross his path. Inwardly, he sighed. Humans are SUPPOSED to be like this?

At lunch, Inuyasha flat-out refused to eat anything from the school canteen. He took one sniff and clapped his hand over is nose, groaning, "Ugh, man! What IS that stuff?" He took a cautious breath. "It smells like Jaken!"

Kagome sweatdropped. "Hey, you'll usually eat anything! Does that mean that everyone else was RIGHT about cafeteria food?" She asked, prodding something that looked like cheese (though she couldn't be sure). She glanced up at Inuyasha, wondering why he wasn't responding, then got her answer. He'd turned a sick shade of green, and as she watched, the hanyou jumped up and bolted from the canteen, holding one hand to his mouth and the other to his nose. Kagome sighed. I guess the smell overwhelmed him, she thought, and wandered to the other side of the room.

When Inuyasha returned, Kagome was sitting down again, with a bowl of steaming hot ramen in front of his vacated spot. He grinned, then asked, "How did you..."

She pointed towards the other side of the room. "That's a microwave. Uh, it's kinda like an indoor fire. And I knew you wouldn't like cafeteria food, so I brought something I was sure you'd like!"

Without a word, Inuyasha grabbed the bowl and started toward the door again. "Where are you going?" Kagome called after him.

"Outside," He yelled back. "I don't even think I can eat ramen in here!"

Kagome sighed, grabbed her bag, and ran to catch up.

After a hurried lunch in the courtyard (Kagome couldn't keep Inuyasha from jumping up into a tree with his ramen, earning him many strange looks), the bell rang and the pair (the human willingly, the hanyou reluctantly) headed for Mythology class, the last period of the day. Fortunately for Inuyasha, this was a class he actually looked forward to.

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After going through the same routine of annoying pulls and yanks at his hair, the questions (which had become even more annoying) ringing in his ears, and the teacher forcing him to introduce himself, Inuyasha's temper was on a short thread. What better way to avoid contact than...

Kagome began to copy the notes that the teacher was writing on the board, Inuyasha, for once was as eager as she was. He was busy at taking each and every note the teacher wrote down.

When the teacher began to talk about the warring states era, that instantly got Inuyasha and Kagome's attention. "Who can tell me, who or what, dominated the warring states, and who stopped them?" Mr. Sugaki asked as Inuyasha and kagome's hands went up at the same time. Surprised, the teacher nodded at Inuyasha.

Standing up, he gave a complete description of the demons, and other monster that he had battled in the past. He told of the stories that his nii-san, Sesshomaru, told him. The stories of his father and the story about Midoriko. "Midoriko was a miko many years ago. She was well known for being very powerful and her ability to purify a yôukai soul. It was because of this, however, that her fate was sealed.

In her final battle, Midoriko was ambushed by many yôukai. The battle lasted for 7 days and nights and eventually a yôukai, created from the possession of a man, who secretly desired Midoriko, got her in its jaws. Midoriko, in one final attempt to defeat the yôukai, forced out the yôukai's soul and her soul from their respective bodies. Both yôukai and Midoriko died, but their souls combined to create the Shikon no Tama." Inuyasha finished as Mr. Sugaki smiled at the explanation the half-demon gave and began to clap. Which got the rest of the class to join in. Inuyasha beamed at the appreciation his classmates gave him, and Kagome patted him on the arm, reassuring him that he did very well.

"Thank you Inuyasha, now on to the rest of my lecture." Mr. Sugaki said as Inuyasha, still beaming, tuned out the rest of the lecture, and began to daydream of his mother.

Though he had fell asleep and that resulted in Kagome kicking his leg. That gesture shot the half-demon straight out of his dream and he instantly sent a glare at the person the leg belonged to.

"What was that for?" He whispered angrily as Kagome shudder a little bit at his glare.

"Even though you did wonderful answering the teacher's question, you still need to stay awake. I know that school can be very boring, but please bear the boringness for me." Kagome pleaded as Inuyasha sighed and nodded at the miko.

"Fine, but after this you will pay dearly for waking me up so rudely wench." Inuyasha promised as Kagome cowered at the thought of what he might do.

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After the last bell rang that signaled that the school day had end for the day, Kagome and Inuyasha made they way outside, ignoring the glances the girls still sent at Inuyasha, and began to walk to a secluded area where Inuyasha could put Kagome on his back and run the rest of the way home.

The two walked in silence, which wasn't unusual, seeing as they did that a lot. Kagome began to ponder what the half-demon next to her was planning. She was get a little scared at what Inuyasha might do to her to get her back at waking him up so rudely.

"Umm Inuyasha," She began as Inuyasha, sensing her fear, turned to her and smiled very wickedly at her.

"Yes, Kagome? Is there something I can help you with? May-be a foot to kick you when you are asleep, perhaps?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically earning a sigh out of the girl next to him.

"I'm sorry that I woke you so rudely, but you can't sleep in class, even if it gets boring." Kagome said as Inuyasha, still mad, continued to smile evilly at her.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep, I was picturing my mother and I followed her image to a wonderful place that reminded me of heaven. But of course you don't care. you only care about me staying awake in school that I don't even care for and don't need." Inuyasha replied as Kagome instantly felt bad. She hadn't even asked about the reason he had fallen asleep, only that she would be blamed for Inuyasha acting rude.

"Well at least It's friday today, so we don't school for a few days, so I can make it up to you for being rude." Kagome said hoping Inuyasha would drop the whole "getting back at her thing".

"Oh no, your not getting out of this easily wench. I'm going to enjoy torturing you with suspense of what I'm going to do to you. I can smell your fear, so this revenge is going to be sweet." Inuyasha chuckled as Kagome did the only thing she knew that would piss him off more, but would her feel better.

"Inuyasha, SIT BOY!"

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Kagome knew that Inuyasha was pissed at her, and she knew that her secret weapon was a little too far this time. After peeling himself off of the ground, Kagome had seen tears in Inuyasha's eyes. Her heart automatically sunk as he raced off, leaving her to walk home herself, which she couldn't really blame him. She'd run away from herself if she could.

Determined to apologize, Kagome chased after the pissed off hanyou. 'He probably went back through the well.' Kagome thought as she reached her house, kicked off her shoes at the door, and ran up to her room, panting and clutching a cramp in her side. She was all prepared to go back to the Sengoku Jidai and DRAG Inuyasha back if she had to...and there he sat, in the middle of the room, with Souta standing in front of him, trying (but failing) to lift Tetsusaiga.

Immediately, Kagome wiped the sweat from her face and forced her features into a nonchalant expression. "Oh, so you're still here?"

Inuyasha looked up. Kagome instantly became worried again. His eyes had an odd, subdued look about them, as if someone had killed his best friend. No, scratch that, because if someone had killed his best friend, then he'd look more angry. He just looked depressed, or disappointed. He blinked, and Kagome could see him do the same 'change of facial expression' thing that she had just done. He stood, gently took the fang sword from Souta, and sheathed it. The next time Inuyasha looked at Kagome, he had his normal "What do YOU want?" expression on his face.

Kagome ignored what she'd seen and scoffed. "Ahem... I said you're still here, huh?"

"Keh. Wasn't that the deal?"

"Well, yeah, but I can't tell. You would probably go against your word when your pissed off."

Souta was watching this exchange like a boxing match, and Kagome noticed his interest. "Out, Souta-chan!" She said, pointing to the door.

"Nee-channnnn...why do I always have to get out when YOU come home?" A sly look took over the young boy's face. "Maybe you kiss when you're done arguing?"

With an angry yell, Kagome threw a pillow at the boy, who ran out. Moments later, they heard him go downstairs and the unmistakable sounds of Souta settling down for hours of playing video games.

"Kagome, what the hell do you mean by "You can't tell?" Inuyasha asked, jarring her from her thoughts about Souta.

"Well, you aren't exactly the person that would be honest with me, especially when it comes to the Shikon no Tama."

"THAT'S what this is all about? Yeah, right! You stupid bitch! Why the hell would there be any reason to lie to you, or for you not to trust me? You are such a damn hypocrite! How dare you say that you don't trust me! If I did go against my word whenever I was pissed off, you would be dead already! I protect you each and every day, and you trust me with your life! If that isn't trust, then I don't know what is! This has nothing to do with the Shikon no Tama and if you don't tell me the real reason right now, you really won't be able to trust me! What are you HIDING?"

Kagome stared at Inuyasha for a moment, then felt the prickle of hot tears welling in her eyes. Inuyasha instantly dropped the tough guy act. "C'mon, Kagome, don't cry. You know I can't stand it when you cry..." He stepped over to her and took her chin in his hands, tilting it up so she was facing him.

The wildest thoughts were whirling through his head, and he had to mentally slap himself when he wondered how her lips would feel on his..."Kagome, just tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help."

Kagome bit her lip and opened her mouth to respond when she heard a voice from downstairs. "Kagome? Where's Jii-chan?" Her mom's voice carried into the room.

Doing her best to keep her voice steady, Kagome answered, "He's probably outside redoing his sealing spells, mom! You know how he can just sit out there all day until someone comes out to remind him that it doesn't really work!" Her mom's footsteps faded into another part of the house.

Kagome turned to face Inuyasha again - but he was gone. Wait...wincing slightly, she looked down to find the hanyou face down on the floor. Running through what she'd just said in her head, she realized what she had done.

"Whoops! Sorry Inuyasha! My mistake!" Uttering a very false laugh, she pranced from the room hoping that the situation wouldn't replay itself. She didn't know what she would answer the next time.

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Meanwhile, Inuyasha was peeling himself off of Kagome's bedroom floor, the effects of the subduing wearing off. Grumbling slightly at the unearned punishment, he eased into a sitting position and turned his ears toward the door, listening to Kagome's retreat. What are you hiding from me, Kagome? he asked himself, And is it the same thing I'm hiding from you?

Kagome paused at the bottom of the stairs to catch her breath. She was going to apologized from the whole "sit thing" but she had come very close to saying something that she knew that she'd feel sorry about later. Recently, she'd started to feel a little closer to Inuyasha, and not just because he protected her. She began to realize just how bright his hair could shine in the sun, or how his eyes were the softest, purest shade of gold, or how his claws sent shivers up her spine every time he touched her. And those ears...they were sooo cute, that it made her want to touch them every time she could. She figured that Inuyasha enjoyed it too - a lot more than he was letting on. Get a hold of yourself, girl! she mentally shouted. He's a hanyou...why would you think that he'd be interested in a human? He's said it himself, he thinks of you as an inferior race! So stop pining after him and straighten up your act!

Kagome sighed, and spoke to no one, "I know...but it's hard sometimes..."

A knock on the door jolted her from her thoughts about Inuyasha. She opened it, half expecting one of her more annoying female acquaintances there to see the 'new boy at school'. Therefore, the person who stood on her doorstep startled her. "Houjou-kun?"

"Uh, h-hi, Higurashi-san!" Houjou stammered, staring at the ground.

"What's up?" Kagome asked, wondering what had the boy looking more awkward than normal, if at all possible. "Please call me Kagome-chan, Houjou-kun. You make me nervous referring to me like that!"

"Oh..uh..okay, Ka-Kagome-chan...I was just wondering...uhh...if you'd like to, well, uh, maybe have lunch with me on Sunday?" He spoke the last part very quickly, as if he were afraid of losing his nerve.

Kagome hesitated. Houjou? Asking her out? On a date? Oh how could she wanted to shut the door in the weird boy's face. May-be I could say yes then turn him down on the date. Yeah that could work, give the boy a chance then dump him.

"Okay, Houjou I go on a date with you, but no weirdness." Kagome said as the poor boy nearly tripped over his own feet in surprise. "You...you mean it, Hig-uh, I mean Kagome-chan?"

She glanced up to her room window, where she could see Inuyasha glaring down at the scene below him. She quickly turned her gaze back to Houjou. "Of course, Houjou-kun. I'd love to." Kagome said as she innerwardly gagged.

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"What the hell was THAT all about?" Inuyasha roared as Kagome returned to her room.

"Er...Houjou just needed the math homework for today!" Kagome answered, not knowing why she was so reluctant to tell him the truth.

"Stop your lying, you stupid bitch! I heard every word! In case you forgot, I have VERY good hearing!" His ears twitched slightly in anger, but she quenched the desire to touch them...now wasn't the time for playing around.

"Well, it's about time for me to get out of this house and DO something! Don't think that just because you're here I have to stay and keep you company! You can amuse yourself for a few hours, don't you think?"

"Dammit, Kagome, I don't want you to go with him!"

"And why not, Inuyasha?"

"He couldn't protect you! If something were to happen, he'd probably run away faster than Shippou!" Or he'd be gone beforehand, like Myouga, he added silently.

"Inu-baka, in case you haven't noticed, this is MY home! There isn't danger around every corner like there is in the Sengoku Jidai! There aren't any crazed demons HERE!"

"How are you so sure? Don't you remember that crazy Noh mask? Or the evil Soul Piper? Or that damn Lady Centipede that came through the well and dragged you there in the first place?"

Kagome blinked twice. Oh yeahhhh...that had kind of slipped her mind. She opened her mouth to respond, but Inuyasha wasn't done yet... "Plus, you have lots of sick people out there Kagome! Robbers with those 'gun' things...rapists...I don't want to put you out there without adequate protection!"

"Why the hell do YOU care, anyway?" She shouted.

"Because-Because-" He hesitated, then turned his nose up at her. "That doesn't matter. You probably just want to go with him for another reason anyway..."

Kagome began to feel slightly irritated. "What do you mean by THAT?"

Inuyasha snorted. "You most likely just want him to mount you."

"Eww, Inuyasha that's a nasty thought to even say about Houjou of all people. I just agreed to his feeble hounding so that I give him a date he wants, then turn him down. But of course you wouldn't let me explain my intentions. Nooo! You instantly think of the grossest thing." Kagome accused running from the room, leaving a speechless hanyou behind.

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**A/N:** Well, that's it for Chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed it! Review please! I love all feedback, even if it's flames.


	2. Cat Calls and New Faces

**A/N:** Hi me again guardian angel9186! I'm back with chapter 2 of this story. I'm on a roll with these chapters, but expect this much speedy chapters all the time. Okay so some things I want to clarify, foremost thank you to the review that made me change a few things in the last chapter. I was a little too hasty at trying to make Kagome's insults mean. So anyway, tell me what you think, and I'll be putting the next one up if I have some good enough reviews. (jk jk)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, or the character's in the wonderful anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do however own the notorious Sakaru!

**Chapter Two: Cat Calls, and New Faces**

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Saturday. That meant no school. And it also meant a whole day of arguing with Inuyasha. Kagome rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she yawned deeply and swung her feet out of bed. She began to place her weight on the floor, but leapt back onto the bed as her feet came in contact with something solid, soft, and warm. She peered over the side of the bed to see Inuyasha's sleeping body. She reddened, first with embarrassment, then with anger. How DARE he sneak up to her room after she'd gone to sleep? Her mom made it perfectly clear that he was supposed to sleep in the den, on the couch. Certainly she didn't authorize THIS?

She looked closer. He looked so innocent while he slept. His ears quivered slightly with each breath, and his mouth was open slightly, allowing her to see one of his fangs. He had removed his haori and his underkimono so she was awarded the full view of his muscular chest. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. 8:00 a.m. She was never up this early on Saturdays, and she proved it by letting out another huge yawn. She lay down once more, getting sort of used to the idea that a dog-demon was sleeping on her floor. At least it's a cute one, she thought, before shaking her head violently to clear the idea. Kagome sighed and reached one of her hands off of the bed. She gently curled her fingers around Inuyasha's ear and rubbed it. With this comforting sensation, she drifted off again, wondering vaguely what had woken her in the first place.

Inuyasha's eyes opened an instant later. He felt a pleasant warmth in his left ear and craned up to see one of Kagome's hands caressing it in her sleep. He smiled faintly and gently lifted her hand off of his head, sitting up. He gazed at her sleeping form. She was so beautiful. Her ebony hair spilled over the pillow, an unchecked waterfall, and the covers on her bed were dislodged so that they lay at her waist. Inuyasha's eyes followed her curves until they disappeared under the blanket, leaving the rest to the imagination. He glanced again at her lips, slightly parted in her slumber. His mind flashed to the last time he'd thought of kissing her -

"...Well I can't tell..."

- and he winced. He heaved a deep sigh and raised her arm so that he could gently brush his lips across her palm. She murmured in her sleep, but didn't wake. He laid her arm gently by her side, but as he prepared to stand and leave, he noticed something strange. On Kagome's pillow lay a very small dart, barely the size of a pencil lead. He lifted it, and raised it to his nose. The smell hit him long before it got there, however.

"Ka...Kagome's blood?" There was only a small amount, because the dart was so tiny, but it immediately infuriated him. Who would DARE do something like this to his Kagome? He silently vowed to catch whoever it was and personally feed them their liver and spleen. He frowned, turning the minuscule object over and over in his hands, until he noticed a small crack running down its center. Inuyasha gently inserted a claw and slit it apart. A cloud of yellow dust poured out and wafted over the sleeping Kagome. She stirred, coughed, then sneezed. Her eyes popped open, and she gasped.

Inuyasha faltered as he realized what this situation gave the impression of. He was leaning over her, shirtless, his face very near hers from examining the dart. Kagome, meanwhile, was wearing nothing but a large T- shirt and underwear! She opened her mouth before her brain could process the consequences of this position: "INUYASHAAAA! SIITTTT BOYYY!"

Kagome immediately regretted this as the necklace pulled him facedown - right into her chest. She gasped and her heart immediately sped up. She knew that Inuyasha could probably hear her heart and tried in vain to calm down. She put up a vain struggle, but the spell that bound Inuyasha was a strong one, and neither Inuyasha nor Kagome could move.

Of course, this was exactly when Souta came barging in.

"Eww, nee-chan! I'm telling mom! Wait until she hears about THIS!" Souta did a happy sort of dance on the spot, the kind that never failed to annoy Kagome, and succeeded especially well at the moment.

She clenched her fists, but couldn't do anything, because Inuyasha's dead weight was pinning her down. But then -

The hanyou suddenly jumped up, grabbed Souta, tugged him into the room, and slammed the door behind him. This left a bewildered Kagome to blush and wonder: How long had he been able to MOVE?

Souta, meanwhile, was explaining to Inuyasha the regrettable things that were going to happen to him when he told his mother. "She'll probably cut your ears off with a kitchen knife and keep them in a jar on the TV...then she'll string you up by your toes in a tree...and she'll probably encourage passerby to hit you with sticks..."

Inuyasha was only half listening. His mind was still on the situation that had just unfolded. He had spent a glorious 20 seconds with his face buried in Kagome's bosom! Dammit, he was starting to sound like that lech, Miroku. Never, of course, would he admit to Kagome that he could actually move after about 12. He was enjoying the feel of her, even if it was through the shirt. AND...he was sure that he had heard her heart beating wildly in her chest, and coupled with a certain scent that she was starting to acquire, made him want to lie there forever. A dreamy smile came over his face, and at the same time, he was sent flying into the wall at the opposite side of the room. Souta sweatdropped. He was NEVER gonna understand Kagome... Shaking his head slightly, he said,

"Well, I'll leave you two to sort things out..." He winked. "And Kagome-nee-chan?" He added mischievously.

"What?" Kagome sighed, knowing what was coming.

"If you're not extra-super nice to me, I just might slip and tell Mom..."

He disappeared from the room, right before Inuyasha managed to stand. "Kagome! What the HELL was that for, huh?" A flaming red handprint stood out on his face.

"What was it FOR?" She exploded. "For leaning over my bed, you perv! Is that how you hanyous get your sick kicks?"

This led Inuyasha to remember WHY he had been leaning over her bed in the first place. His lack of an angry response worried Kagome, and she lowered her voice and asked, "What is it?"

He walked back over to her bed and retrieved the dart from where it had fallen after his unexpected 'sitting'. He showed the two halves, which still contained a small amount of yellow dust, to Kagome.

She frowned slightly. "What's this?"

Inuyasha couldn't help but roll his eyes. "It's a dart, you numbskull!"

"I know THAT!" She bristled. "I just meant - well, it's so small! It can't really do any damage, can it?"

He halted, on the brink of telling her about smelling her blood on it. "Well, just...stay inside, today, Kagome. That way we'll be sure nothing can happen to you." Because, he added silently, with such a small dart, their aim may not have been to kill you...

Kagome wasn't listening, however, for she had just noticed that she was standing in the middle of her room wearing a T-shirt that barely covered her panties! "Eep! SIT BOY!" She shouted again. Inuyasha face dived again and got a mouthful of carpet while she bolted to the bathroom after snatching her clothes from the dresser.

But not before Inuyasha could see the curves that the blanket had been hiding. Her calves looked delicate, yet very strong. They flowed upward into her hips and thighs, causing tantalizing contours that made him growl deep in his throat. He shook his head as well as he could under the spell, then lowered it back to the ground to wait it out. He really hoped Kagome would make it quick.

At that moment, he had never before needed a cold shower like he needed one now.

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As Kagome showered she felt a surprise bump on her neck, and a slight tingle when she brushed a finger against it. When she got out of the shower she saw a tiny mark where the bump was, but thought nothing much of it. She just got dressed and went downstairs, joining Souta and her mother at the table for breakfast. "Where's Inuyasha?" She asked.

Mrs. Higurashi glanced up and made a strange face. "I believe he's hosing himself off in the backyard..."

Kagome and Souta sweatdropped. Then Souta saw it. He leaned close to Kagome.

"I guess you won't have to worry about me telling Mom, huh, Kagome? You're doing a pretty good job by yourself!" He tried to hide a snicker, and failed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ohhh, nothing!" he responded, returning his attention to food.

She didn't have time to badger him for the answer, because at that moment, Inuyasha entered the front door with his sopping wet hair tied up behind him with a strip of cloth. He was dressed in his usual red kimono now that he didn't have to go to school.

He stepped up to the table and reached for his chair, but before he could pull it back, he saw it. And his reaction was much different than Souta's.

Before anybody could say anything, he had grabbed Kagome by the arm and dragged her upstairs, leaving Mrs. Higurashi and Souta to stare after them.

In Kagome's room, Inuyasha rather rudely tossed Kagome into the middle of the room. "Why didn't you say anything? And don't say you didn't know, because I know you did!"

"What are you TALKING about, Inuyasha?" Kagome yelled, genuinely confused.

"This!" He grabbed her arms, spun her around so that her back was against his stomach, and leaned them both toward the mirror. Kagome flushed at the close contact, but was snapped back into reality when Inuyasha grabbed her head and twisted it slightly to the left, so that she could see the right side of her neck.

'Oh, yeah, I remember that now...but it wasn't this bad before,' she thought. 'No wonder Souta had said that to her. It looked as if an angry, red hickey had taken up residence on her neck.' She frowned as the noticed that the center of the coin-sized bruise was a very small puncture, tinged with yellow. She looked up at Inuyasha. "The dart?"

He nodded slowly. "I think so."

She raised her hand slowly to touch the bruise, then hissed slightly in pain and winced. "Ouch...that hurt..."

"Kagome..." Inuyasha began carefully. "I think that we should go back and ask Kaede if she's ever seen anything like this. I don't like this whole situation at all."

Kagome gave him a dry look. "OH, NO...If you think I'm letting you off the hook for this, then you're sadly mistaken, mister!"

She poked him in the ribs. "Whatever this is came from MY time, therefore medicines from MY time should be able to help! You just want to go running back to the Sengoku Jidai and lea-" She cut off the sentence and suddenly became very interested in a chip on the corner of her dresser.

Inuyasha snorted. "Keh. Fine. But if that thing isn't better in 2 weeks..." He studied it closely. "...or if it takes a turn for the worse, then we ARE going back to Kaede and you WON'T be able to stop me. Get it?"

Kagome looked at him, amazed. Was he...worried? Did he actually care about her more that he was letting on?

She cleared her throat. "Fine. Now that that's settled, I want to go shopping!"

She leaned into the mirror while sponging a bit of concealer on over the bruise. When she finished that, she tossed a hat (red this time) in his direction, and began coaxing him to put on some street clothes.

Inuyasha sweatdropped. Surely she wasn't serious? "Don't you remember the little agreement we made this morning about you staying HOME today? Whoever sent the dart is still out there somewhere!"

"And if this bruise is the worst they can do, there's nothing to worry about! Besides, wouldn't you protect me anyway?" Kagome put on a pleading face.

Inuyasha folded his arms. "Keh."

Kagome, taking this for a yes, grabbed a rather flustered hanyou and dragged him out of the door, having yelled a quick good-bye to Souta and her mother, who could do nothing more than gape at the pair, Kagome now dragging Inuyasha by the arm. She grinned broadly at the prospect of going shopping with her own personal bag-carrier, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in her neck.

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"Sakaru..." the man's voice hissed, drawing her out of her trance.

Sakaru jumped and whirled to face him, raising her blow-gun to her lips as she did.

"Have you done what we discussed?" Sakaru stared for a second before she recognized the speaker.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru, can't tell you how pleased I am to see you..." She contradicted this with a sour look, lowering her weapon.

"Anyway, the girl has been infected, and it will take around 3 weeks for it to take full effect. My Siaku powder has never failed, and this wench is no different than a common girl."

Sakaru resisted the urge to spit at Sesshoumaru's feet. She really HATED him, but it wouldn't do well to tell HIM that.

He smiled. "Three weeks. Not bad. But two would have been better. One, best. Hell, tomorrow wasn't beyond expectation!" His voice rose in contempt.

He pressed his face to hers and hissed, "The only reason I bother to associate with you, lowly youkai, is because your knowledge of potions and hexes is...slightly admirable...but if my wretched half-brother finds the cure..." Here he raised a finger and channeled a bit of poison into it. His claw glowed a sick green.

He gently set it on her cheek, careful not to break the skin. "You will find yourself dead before you can scream. So...I would consider being attentive...taking up a position at the local hospital, just in case...and I would also consider that you stop harboring the urge to...spit at my feet." He lowered the claw and walked off, disappearing gradually.

Sakaru punched into a tree and smashed it into pieces in rage. "Dammit, Sesshoumaru!"

She really HATED him when he did things like that...she kicked at a rock before turning to look up at the Higurashi household. Ah, well...that bastard will get what's coming to him... she thought. Better sooner than later. Hell, tomorrow wouldn't be beyond expectation... She scowled as she flexed her muscles...time to wait for the idiot hanyou to return.

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Inuyasha watched as Kagome fluttered around the shop, holding up various items of clothing, then dropping the items she had the most liking for in his arms before flying off again. He looked on, exasperated. She was really in her own world while she was shopping...but at least it gave him more time to think about the dart and who was behind it. 'What could their plan POSSIBLY be?' he asked himself. The first person that jumped into his mind was Naraku, but that was impossible, he was currently powerless, even if he'd somehow managed to survive Inuyasha's last victory. This left...who? Any demon who you've really pissed off since you met Kagome, his mind answered. Or maybe...who Kagome had pissed off?

He sighed. He was stumped. He started to run through a list of names when Kagome grabbed his hand and tugged him off in the direction of the dressing rooms. He was VERY agitated, but at least this was getting him away from the stares of the other shoppers. They had been staring at the white-haired young man, dressed in a red top, red hat, and slightly baggy dark blue jeans ever since he had entered with Kagome. He had half a mind to rip off his cap and scream out that he was a hanyou to the whole world!

While Inuyasha struggled with his inner, and outer demons, Kagome had banished hers with the best therapy she knew, even better than all the herbal remedies that she had learned from Kaede - shopping!

When the pair reached the back of the store, near the dressing rooms, Kagome grabbed the clothes from the hanyou and entered one of them. She then proceeded to model the outfits for him. Inuyasha acted indifferent, although one really caught his eye. It had taken Kagome a while this time, and he wondered how many articles of clothing she was trying on at the same time. When she burst out, however, he couldn't help his jaw from dropping.

She wore a very tight patent-leather black jeans with studs and spider web pattern, a black corset top underneath, black boots with VERY high heels, sunglasses, and a white sailor's hat. She grinned at his reaction.

"I knew this one would get a response," she laughed, as Inuyasha struggled to collect his jaw from the floor.

"So...you're not gonna buy it then?" He asked, quite innocently.

Kagome narrowed her eyes dangerously, a vein popping out in her forehead. "What kind of slut do you think I am?" She howled, getting many strange looks from the patrons. One boy, however, made a very grave error.

"Well, I think you look like a great one!" he yelled, walking past her and squeezing her behind suggestively. He shook his sandy brown hair, winked, and went to laugh with his buddies.

Kagome reddened with embarrassment and anger, but Inuyasha did much more than that. He leapt from the chair beside the dressing rooms and sprinted across the room in a flash. The baka that had yelled squealed right before Inuyasha grabbed him right in the front of his shirt and lifted him from his feet. "What the FUCK did you say to her?" he hissed.

"H-h-hey man! W-w-w-we don't want n-no trouble!" The guy stammered, struggling weakly, fear all over his face.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH KAGOME?" Inuyasha roared as he clenched his hand tighter and swung the guy around, slamming him into a wall and knocking over a display of cell phone covers. He was vaguely aware of Kagome calling his name, but the blood was pounding so hard in his ears that he couldn't think straight. He raised his fist and swung into the baka's face, pulling the punch as much as he could at the last moment. However, there was still sufficient force to break his nose. The cat caller began to scream.

Inuyasha would have punched him again if soft hands hadn't encased his fist. He turned and met the eyes of Kagome. "Inuyasha...stop it. Now. Onegai." She gently eased his hand back. The hanyou sighed and dropped the idiot to the ground, who scrambled to his feet and made a hasty exit, supported by his buddies. The store was silent as the grave. Everyone's eyes were on Inuyasha. His eyes, however, were on Kagome.

"Now you see what I was talking about!" He yelled, his voice strained with anger. "We're going! Go change, NOW!" Kagome nodded meekly and set off to do just that. She also took the time to buy a couple of the outfits before following Inuyasha from the shop.

They walked in silence for a while, until they passed a certain store. Inuyasha peered inside, then casually asked Kagome, "How come you don't wear anything like that?"

Kagome, still brooding, cast an uninterested glance in that direction and blushed. The store was Victoria's Secret! He was asking her how come she didn't wear lingerie!

"Grr, you hentai! That's-" She stopped as she heard a yell from somewhere behind her.

"That's the guy, officers!"

Kagome turned around, slowly. The sandy-haired boy, holding a very red cloth to his nose, and his friends were leading three police officers in their direction. "Oh, no!"

Inuyasha followed her gaze. "Oh, shit!" he agreed. "Should I run? Fight them off?"

"No! You'll just make things worse! You'll never be able to come back to the shrine or show yourself in public! And I doubt if mom would ever let me go back home with a felon!"

Inuyasha nodded. Just then, the officers caught up. "We've got you now, pretty boy!" one sneered, grabbing Inuyasha by his wrists, twisting them behind him, and using the motion to slam him face-first into a wall.

Inuyasha growled, infuriated at this violation, but he stopped at one look from Kagome. Her face was set. "Iie!" she yelled. "No! You're making a mistake!" Her eyes filled with tears as one of the officers pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

Another officer chuckled. "We'll sort this out at the station," he sneered.

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It took all three officers to drag Inuyasha to the security station in the mall and then, only because he let them, earning very odd looks and muted whispers from the other mall shoppers. Kagome sighed morosely. It would be a looooong day...

When they reached the station, they learned that baka-boy had told the officers that Inuyasha had tried to force himself on Kagome. As they had been told, when the boy tried to help her, Inuyasha beat him up. Inuyasha was fuming. So was Kagome.

"And you BELIEVED him? Why would I be walking with someone who tried to molest me! You need to deal with HIM!" she yelled, pointing at the boy who was smirking at her through the window of the station.

The officers shifted slightly. "Maybe he threatened you and forced you to go with him...maybe he was saving you for later?"

Inuyasha growled again at this, but said nothing.

"Maybe he told you not to tell anyone or he'd kill you. That may be the reason that you're sticking up for him!" The officer continued.

Kagome sweatdropped despite the situation. How in the world was she going to make these idiot cops get it? But then...she had an idea...

"I'm telling you, he tried to protect ME when that hentai over there came on to me! And you can trust my word because-" She put a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I'm his girlfriend!"

Inuyasha stared at Kagome, shocked. He wasn't entirely sure about the term 'girlfriend', but he had an idea...had Kagome just said what he thought she'd said? Did she just call herself...his mate? Little did he know...the best was yet to come...

The biggest, dumbest officer of the lot said, "How do we know HE didn't tell you to say that?"

Kagome sighed. These guys were so persistent! But just then, she got another brilliant idea.

"I'll prove it!" she said defiantly. She turned to face Inuyasha, hesitated for a split second, and then pressed her lips to his.

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he felt the contact. His muscles relaxed slowly, and his eyes closed. Meanwhile, Kagome felt as if she might as well make it convincing...she opened her mouth slightly and slowly probed her tongue into his mouth. Again, Inuyasha was surprised, but he responded, and Kagome began to melt into his lips...until she remembered the officers...

She broke the kiss abruptly, and reluctantly, she then turned shameless eyes to the officers, who were sitting, wide eyed. She grinned. That probably wasn't what they'd expected.

At long last, an officer rose and took the handcuffs off of Inuyasha. He and Kagome stood and turned to leave.

"Oh, and young man? Try not to hurt him so badly next time. I wouldn't blame him for being interested. A fine girlfriend you've got there." Inuyasha simply nodded and ushered Kagome out.

"Now, to deal with that lying baka-" the officer stopped his sentence short. At the sight of the kiss, the boy had fled.

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Inuyasha's mind was reeling. That kiss...it was so compassionate...surely it wasn't just an act? He stole a glance at Kagome. She was concentrating very hard on the sidewalk in front of her. The two were walking home in silence. And then she called herself my mate? he asked himself. Is it possible that she...

Just then, another thought pushed into his mind. It was something that Kagome had said before the policemen had taken him:

"...I doubt if mom would ever let me go back home with a felon!"

Home. She considered the Sengoku Jidai her home? So then, why was she making a big fuss over them staying here for the full month? He sighed, then rubbed his temple. So many mixed messages...

Kagome, at the time, was beating herself up. Stupid, stupid! she thought. She was taking his silence as rejection. How could I do that? But it was pretty nice... she smiled inwardly. And...didn't he kiss me back? She opened her mouth to speak when she caught sight of her home. And screamed.

Kagome's shriek distracted Inuyasha from his brooding and he shoved her behind him, shouting,

"What is it?" Inuyasha demanded.

Before Kagome could answer, though, he smelled it. Youkai. He turned to the house and raised his eyes. There, on the roof, stood what appeared to be a huge tiger...but it didn't smell like one. "Shapeshifter," he muttered.

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**A/N:** Okay I left it at a sort of cliffhanger for my own enjoyment. But please review for me.


	3. Tigers, and Changes

**A/N:** Alright chapter 3 is up and man I had to pull an all-nighter with this, because I was so full of ideas. But anyways I'm defiantly putting my character into this, so you guys will see a lot of Sakaru.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any character involved in this story, I do not make profit on this. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I just enjoy the rewriting of the story.

**Chapter 3: Tigers, Changes, and Dates Oh My!**

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The tiger laughed, totally confusing Kagome. It leapt down from the roof, landing softly in front of the pair.

Inuyasha smiled. "You want a fight, shapeshifter? Cause if you do, it's with me. I need to blow off some steam anyway."

The tiger hissed and laughed again. "Silly little Inu-youkai..."

Kagome gasped. "It talked!" she exclaimed.

"Of course it talked, wench! It's not a tiger, it's a youkai!"

Kagome pulled a face and prepared to respond when the youkai cut them off.

"If you are done, Inuyasha, I have a message to give you."

"How the hell do you know my name?" Inuyasha asked, but the tiger-youkai paid him no heed.

"You are to meet my superior at this location at exactly 11:00 tonight," she said, using her tail to toss a piece of paper at the hanyou.

"And if I don't show up?"

The tiger-youkai turned its head to Kagome. "She diessssss..."

Inuyasha dropped the bags he was holding, snarled and leapt at the youkai, but she already knew what was coming. She quickly transformed into a bird and eluded the hanyou.

"This is not MY fight, halfling. Don't kill the messenger." She flew away and disappeared into the darkness.

Inuyasha glared after her. Kagome, meanwhile, had snagged the slip of paper and was trying to figure out the meeting place.

"Hmm...this can't be right!" she said, catching Inuyasha's attention. He looked at her.

"What?"

"If these directions are correct, this will put you right in the middle of a forest!" Kagome thought for a second, then set her face. "I'm going, too!"

"No you're not, Kagome! That thing could hurt you! And I have a feeling that whatever its 'superior' is would hurt you as well."

"Well, she only said that I'd be hurt if you didn't go! So what could the harm be in taking along a little company? I'll even take my bow and arrow so I can be some help if things get rough! Onegai?"

Inuyasha sighed. "Keh."

"All right! Arigatou!"

Inuyasha sweatdropped. Why did she always seem to think that 'keh' means yes? Before he could pick up the argument. Kagome's smile faded. "Oh, no. Souta! Mom!" She ran toward the house before he could say a word.

Inuyasha was much faster, however, and leapt to the door, kicked off his shoes, and threw himself inside. He sniffed the air and didn't detect a trace of blood. Or youkai. A few second later,

Kagome entered the door, panting. "You...have...to teach...me...how to...do that...sometime."

Just then, Mrs. Higurashi and Souta entered from the den. "Kagome-nee-chan? Something wrong?" Souta asked.

"Umm, Souta-chan? Mom? Has anything strange happened while we were gone?"

"No, dear, why do you ask?" Mrs. Higurashi responded.

"No reason..." Kagome moved toward the stairs and motioned for Inuyasha to follow.

When they reached her room, she flopped down on her bed in relief. Inuyasha dropped her shopping bags on the floor, by her closet, and retrieved Tetsusaiga from under her bed. He sat on the floor, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the wall, with the sword leaning on his shoulder. He had a lot to think about at that moment...

Kagome raised her head long enough to stare at her clock. 9:52 p.m. They had been gone all day, and she was bone tired. She couldn't help falling asleep, even though it was so near the appointed time for the mysterious meeting...

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Inuyasha bolted through the streets, dressed once again in his fire-rat kimono, with Tetsusaiga at his side. He figured that it was too dark for anyone to see him, so he hadn't bothered to cover his ears. He ran at full speed, following the detailed instructions on the piece of paper that the tiger-youkai had given him. The directions were so simple, that they could be followed even by someone who didn't know street names. He skidded to a halt at the edge of a dense patch of woods, then took to the trees. He didn't know who wanted him, but they were going to get him. Inuyasha remembered the youkai's words, hissed in an ancient youkai language that he didn't even know he knew-

"Come alone Inu-youkai...or she will die by my hands, and you by the hands of my superior..."

He paused briefly to sniff the air. He detected no hint of Kagome, nor any other humans. She's gonna be pissed at me for this... he thought, but continued to leap from branch to branch toward the center of the forest. What exactly did this tiger-thing's superior want? he wondered. And why was I forbidden to bring Kagome?

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"It is all set, Sesshoumaru. The hanyou is on the way and there was no sign of a girl with him."

"Exceptional work, Sakaru. Now, take your normal form to regain your energy until he gets here. Make sure that he doesn't see the real you until it's absolutely necessary. That, and the fact that I despise the feeling of you perched on my shoulder..." Sesshoumaru shot the bird a very dirty look.

Sakaru returned the sentiment and fluttered to the ground. She changed back into her ordinary shape, a cheetah youkai with patterned and lightly furred skin, long claws, and whiskers. She had black hair down to her waist and green eyes. Her nose was decidedly feline and her mouth housed long, sharp fangs. Her clothing consisted of a sleeveless black top and low-cut, baggy black pants. At her side was a sword in a sheath.

"Much better. Just make sure that Inuyasha doesn't come close enough to see you this way. If he does, you know what will happen..." He examined her eyes. "Or did Naraku not teach you that little bit of information?"

Sakaru sighed. "If he sees me in my true form, then he'll be able to see through my transformations and force me to return to this state every time. I know, I know...do you think my instructor was a complete idiot?"

Sesshoumaru smirked and turned his head to look up at the night sky. "Yes...I do."

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Inuyasha finally reached the small clearing where he was to meet with the tiger-youkai's superior. He looked around, but it was empty. He leapt down from his tree and immediately felt as though he passed through a wall of cold water. It must be a barrier to keep passerby from seeing inside, he thought. He landed on the ground, tensed for a fight, then raised his eyes to meet...

"Fluffy?" He exclaimed incredulously. Sure enough, it was Sesshoumaru, with the huge tiger-youkai at his side.

"What the hell do you want? Does this have something to do with Kagome and that...that dart..." He trailed off as he saw Sesshoumaru's expression.

"It WAS you! You fucking bastard!"

Without thinking, Inuyasha threw himself at Sesshoumaru, who easily dodged the swipe and effortlessly chopped the hanyou on the back of the neck. Inuyasha never hit the ground, however, as Sesshoumaru grabbed him by the throat and slammed his back into a tree near the edge of the clearing. Sakaru winced as her sensitive tiger ears heard the splintering of wood behind Inuyasha.

"Calm down, brother." He spat the word like a curse.

"I only came here to talk with you. And you came to listen. Don't bother trying to fight me to bring out the answer, because this Sesshoumaru holds all of the cards and you...you hold none."

Sesshoumaru flexed his arm and sent Inuyasha sprawling into the center of the clearing.

"B..Bastard..." he gasped. "Why did you do that to Kagome? What was the point? I've already guessed that you weren't trying to kill her."

"Indeed, no. Actually, I have enlisted the aid of my helper here to infect her...and make her full youkai."

"WHAT?" Inuyasha roared. "Why the hell are you doing THAT? What the hell are you getting out of it? She'll just find out you did it, and then you'd be stuck with two pissed off youkai to deal with! You can't be serious!"

"Idiot. What makes you think that she would attack me? What makes you think that she would even know who YOU are? Once the human bitch is full youkai, she'll kill you and then live beside me...as my mate."

Inuyasha choked and flung himself at Sesshoumaru again. Sesshoumaru sighed, then conjured his whip of green poison and cracked it across Inuyasha's back. Once more, Inuyasha hit the dirt, but he hopped back up immediately, ready. He ripped Tetsusaiga from its sheath and took a swing at Sesshoumaru. The sword sliced through a small part of Sesshoumaru's robes. 'Heh,' Inuyasha thought. 'I can take him!' At that moment, the tiger-youkai threw herself forward and grabbed on to Inuyasha's hand - with her teeth.

"Arrrgh!" Inuyasha roared in pain and rage as the fangs cut through his flesh.

He flung his arm and knocked the tiger loose- and then he realized what she had been doing. When he flung his arm, the youkai had switched her bite to...Tetsusaiga...which was now in the tiger's mouth. The tiger hissed as it began to burn her and she dropped it at her feet, glaring at Inuyasha.

"I told you, Inuyasha, that I did not come here to fight with you. I'm here only to talk. The Siaku powder in Kagome's body will take full effect in about 3 weeks. In that time, I suggest that you say your good-byes..."

"Why the hell are you telling me all of this, Fluffy?" Inuyasha asked, still turning over everything that he had said in his mind. Siaku powder? That...that yellow stuff?

"Because, Inuyasha...I want you to know what you are missing. Don't think I am blind and have missed the clues that you have feelings toward that miko. Well, I'm here to tell you that you are forbidden to take her as yours. I will not let you defile our name by taking a miko bride...and I will not allow you to be happy."

"How is that so much different than what you wish to do?"

"The Siaku powder is already weakening her miko powers. When those three weeks are up, she will have none, and be full youkai. I'm telling you to give you a chance to forget her, brother. With my persuasion, maybe I could even find some minions for you. You are my half-brother, Inuyasha, and I don't intend to let you tarnish Father's name by mirroring his weak, simple- minded decisions!"

"So...you're making me an proposition, huh? Offering me an out? Telling me that you'll welcome me back into the fold? Fuck off, Sesshoumaru. I don't need your acceptance!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes darkened. "Then DIE BY THE HAND OF YOUR LOVER, HALF- BREED!" he roared, turning away and beginning to leave.

A few steps away, he stopped, and turned back, looking at Inuyasha closely. A large red gash was on his back from the whip, there were claw marks on his neck, and his wrist was nearly severed. Sesshoumaru scoffed, then unsheathed the Tenseiga.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. What could he possibly be doing with a sword that-

Sesshoumaru ran forward and swiped the sword at Inuyasha, making sure that the breath was knocked out of him. Inuyasha landed on the hand that had been bitten by the tiger-youkai and winced at the pain...except there was no pain...

He looked down at his wrist to find it completely healed. As a matter of fact, he felt as good as new. His clothing wasn't even scratched!

Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha scornfully while he re-sheathed Tenseiga.

"Let him retrieve his sword," he said to the tiger-youkai, who stepped back obediently as Inuyasha did just that.

"As much as I, Sesshoumaru, would love to kill you now, I think it would be more entertaining to watch your bitch do it for me. Tell her what you like, Inuyasha. She will believe anything if you are unscathed. I will interfere no longer. You can delay the inevitable and not tell her...or you can tell her and still die knowing that there was nothing you could do. The choice is yours, but either way I see your death and my new mate." He turned again to leave.

"Hey, Sesshy!" Inuyasha called.

Sesshoumaru glared back, bored with the conversation.

"Why the hell do you want to take her as your mate anyway?"

At this, Sesshoumaru did something very unlike himself...He shrugged and said, "She'd make a powerful youkai...and she's cute..."

Despite being furious, Inuyasha sweatdropped, as did Sakaru. 'He...thinks she's cute?' While he was puzzling over Sesshoumaru's answer, he and the tiger youkai took to the skies, fading into the distance...and leaving Inuyasha alone to think about what the hell he was going to tell Kagome.

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Kagome was running through a dense forest. There was something ahead of her...perhaps something that held a shard of the Shikon no Tama? She tried to run faster, searching the trees ahead for Inuyasha...but he wasn't there. Where was he? She needed him to stop the figure that was running from her.

"Inuyasha!" she called, but there was no answer and still the hanyou did not appear.

She frowned and realized that it was up to her! She ran even faster, the trees on either side of her becoming a blur as she ran to catch up. Without thinking, she leapt into a tree and continued in the treetops, absently sniffing the air to confirm the location of her target. Then, she dived. She plowed through the trees and collided with the back of the running figure, knocking it to the ground. Immediately, she grabbed it and lifted it to see...Kikyou?

"Kagome! You musn't let this control you! You can-"

Kikyou's words were cut short as Kagome separated her throat from the rest of her body- with her fangs.

'Fangs?'

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Kagome woke up, gasping for breath and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She tried to get up and realized that someone had come in and put a blanket over her, but she still wore the clothes that she was in after she'd returned from the mall. Oh, no... she thought. Does this mean...?

She slowly turned her head to look at the clock. 12:39 a.m. She had missed the meeting! And Inuyasha, that baka! He was sure gonna get it when he got back! At this thought, she scanned the room, worried. Did that meeting really take that long? she wondered, or was it more than a meeting? Maybe he was attacked? Could he be hurt somewhere? Or worse...?

With a strangled cry, she leapt from the bed and stumbled down the stairs. She nearly hurled herself through the den door, only to find-

Nothing. He wasn't there.

Before she could really panic, however, there was a soft knock on the door and Inuyasha entered, looking a little tired but perfectly okay.

Imagine his surprise when Kagome threw herself at him, out of nowhere, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Inu...yasha...I thought you were hurt or dead and you didn't wake me up and it was getting late and you were nowhere to be found and-"

Inuyasha pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh...it's okay. I'm fine. The meeting was nothing. Just some baka trying to get me to join his ranks. I turned him down. He won't be bothering us again."

Oh, well, he thought, at least the last few sentences were true.

He was about to tell Kagome to go back to bed and rest when she said something that knocked the breath out of him even faster than his half- brother's attack.

"That damn Sesshoumaru. The next time he shows up, he's going to get a miko's arrow right in the chest."

Inuyasha stared. "How did you know-"

"I smelled him on you, of course." She let out a huge yawn, then turned away. "I'm going back to bed."

'She...smelled him on me? But humans shouldn't be able to'- he cut the thought short. 'The Siaku powder must be taking effect! I have to think of what I'm going to tell her! He rubbed his head as he pondered: And I have to tell her before she figures out that she has fangs!'

For it was true. When Kagome yawned, Inuyasha could clearly see two slightly elongated, pointed fangs fully formed in her mouth.

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An hour later, Inuyasha was in Kagome's room, examining her closely. First, he gently moved the hair at the top of her head aside, then breathed a sigh of relief. Whew...no ears! He moved down to her hands, and was pleased to see that long youkai claws had not formed yet, but her nails were slightly longer.

Now, for the most delicate - and most important - part, he thought. Very slowly, he raised one of his claws and made a shallow cut on Kagome's forearm. She made a slight movement, but luckily, didn't wake up. He watched the cut carefully...and no change occurred to it. He sighed again. Okay, so that means that she has fangs and a heightened sense of smell, but her ears, nails, and healing ability are still human. I still have time to save her! He left the room silently and went back downstairs to his designated sleeping place. He didn't sleep immediately, however. Instead, he was thinking up something to tell Kagome when she woke up. He couldn't help but indulge in the idea that maybe - just maybe - as a youkai, she could love him. He quickly stopped himself from thinking like that. Plus, if Fluffy was right, she'd kill him anyway! Inuyasha groaned softly and closed his eyes. Imagining what Kagome would look like as an Inu-youkai, he drifted off, a smile on his face.

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Kagome woke up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She was about to get out of bed, and absentmindedly checked the floor for Inuyasha, when she felt a sharp pain in her arm. She looked down and saw a shallow gash, covered in dried blood. She winced. How had that happened? She shrugged, then headed to the bathroom to get a bandage and brush her teeth. She tried the doorknob - only to find that it was locked. Automatically, she took a deep breath through her nose and smelled...bubblegum toothpaste...hair gel...a faint scent of bubbles...

"Hurry up, Souta-chan!" she yelled through the door.

She heard a shuffle as Souta dropped his toothbrush and nearly slipped and fell in surprise.

"How'd you know it was me, Nee-chan?" he asked, opening the door to stand before her in jeans and a shirt.

'How did I know it was him?' she asked herself. Aloud, she said, "I just did! Now get out! I feel like I haven't gotten a wink of sleep and I want to wake myself up!"

Souta shrugged, rinsed his mouth of toothpaste, collected his belongings, and left. Kagome sighed and put her own clothing on the toilet seat. She turned on the shower and stepped inside, allowing the water to completely engulf her body.

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The sound of the shower woke Inuyasha. Oh, shit, he thought. Kagome always takes a shower right before she...brushes her teeth...

"Oh, SHIT!" He yelled, aloud this time.

Before falling asleep the previous night, he had decided that he would just tell Kagome the truth when she woke up. He figured that she would find out anyway, so maybe she could handle it better if she was told, instead of having to find out herself...as she certainly would when she looked in her mouth...

He leapt off of the couch and ran upstairs, stopping outside of the bathroom door. "Kagome!" he called, praying that she hadn't noticed yet.

"What? I'm in the shower!" she called back, sounding slightly irritated, but not angry.

Inuyasha let out the breath that he hadn't been aware that he was holding.

"I need to talk to you as soon as you get out of the shower!" he said. He heard the water stop and waited for a reply. And he got one...

"Sure, but I have to brush my teeth first!"

"NO!" Inuyasha yelled. "Uh...what I mean is...this is really important! It can't wait."

Kagome sighed. "It'll have to wait three minutes, Inuyasha! I can't stand to talk in the morning unless..." Her voice trailed off and Inuyasha braced himself for what he knew was coming...

Kagome burst from the bathroom in a black spaghetti strap dress and collided with Inuyasha, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO ME?"

"Kagome, calm down! I was trying to explain it to you-"

"Oh, so you do know what the hell is going on! Well, what is it?"

Inuyasha took a deep breath and began the explanation. He debated leaving out the part about Sesshoumaru insisting that Kagome was going to kill Inuyasha and become his mate, but in the end, he just ended up telling her that, too. He figured that she'd be a lot madder if she found out that he'd been hiding something else from her. The whole time, Kagome listened attentively, and only asked one question when she was done:

"How did Sesshoumaru get here in the first place?"

This question left Inuyasha stumped. And of course, what better way to deal with confusion than hostility?

"Hell if I know, bitch! I was way too busy with him predicting my death and your mating future!"

There was a long silence in which Kagome repeatedly ran her tongue over her teeth. Inuyasha waited for her to speak her mind, but instantly became fretful when she clapped a hand to her mouth and her eyes widened.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, thinking that maybe she'd bitten her tongue or something.

"What's wrong?"

Kagome slowly turned her gaze up to the clock on the wall. 12:15 p.m.

"Oh, no!" she gasped.

"I have to get ready! Houjou will be here in 15 minutes!"

And she bolted for her room, slamming the door behind her. Inuyasha gaped. She was still planning to go on that date with that weakling?

"Kagome! You can't go on that date! My brother and that crazy youkai are still out there! They could try to hurt you!" Inuyasha yelled, pounding on Kagome's bedroom door.

"Use your head, Inuyasha! They don't want to hurt either one of us! They've already done all they wanted to do and now all that they're waiting for is my transformation. I promise, when I get back from this date, we'll go back and talk to Kaede!"

"But Kagome! What if he sees your fangs?" He said the last sentence very quietly, so that neither Souta nor Mrs. Higurashi could hear.

"I'll be careful, Inuyasha! I promise!" Kagome opened the door and pushed past Inuyasha, headed toward the stairs. Inuyasha examined her. In addition to her black spaghetti strap dress that only reached halfway to her knees, she now wore a pair of lace-up black sandals and a red sweater draped over her shoulders. There was no way that Inuyasha was going to let her go with this 'Hoho' guy alone and dressed like that...

"I'm going with you," he decided aloud.

Kagome turned and looked up at him from the bottom of the stairs.

"No way, Inuyasha! You can't just invite yourself along on a date! It's rude!"

"Well then, I'll follow you. Just to keep an eye out."

'Also to make sure 'Hoho' doesn't try anything'... he thought.

Kagome frowned. "I don't need a bodyguard!" She began to walk away again. Hearing Inuyasha following, she said, "Inuyasha?"

"Huh?"

"Sit."

Inuyasha crashed into the stairs and tumbled down them, ending up at the bottom, swirly-eyed. Kagome winced, then shrugged. It's his own fault, she thought, closing the door behind her as she heard Houjou honk the horn. Kagome instantly thought. 'Houjou? With a car? Poor pedestrians.'

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Thirty minutes later, Inuyasha had awoken and changed into some appropriate outside clothing. Luckily, Kagome had sorted all of his outfits so he didn't have to worry about what shirt went with what pants. He finally pulled on a pair of black jogging pants with a white stripe on the side and a white muscle shirt. He looked in the mirror and frowned as he tied a black bandanna over his ears. After retrieving his black sneakers from outside the door where he'd left them last night when they got back from the mall, he set about tracking Kagome. No matter what she said, he still planned to follow her.

The fact that the two had left in a car gave Inuyasha a huge disadvantage until he noticed something distinct about the place where Houjou's car was parked, waiting for Kagome...there was a large puddle of oil right under where it had been. Smirking, Inuyasha easily followed the trail of oil to the center of town. When the oil trail tapered off and he could no longer smell it, either, he began to search for Kagome. Furtively sniffing the air so he wouldn't attract stares from people, he smelled the wide assortment of city smells: cigarettes, various foods, lavender, the metallic scent of cars...

Wait...lavender? Inuyasha recognized the scent as Kagome's and took off, following it until he spotted her sitting outside on the veranda of a restaurant, talking to a boy that he assumed to be 'Hoho'. Inuyasha smiled with relief at seeing her okay, but then quickly looked for a hiding place when he realized that she could see him quite clearly from where she was. He settled himself into a bench on the other side of the street and waited, watching. The first time that guy tries something... he thought, Kagome is coming home...

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**A/N:** That's chapter 3 done! But like I said before, Don't expect the chapters to come this fast in the future. I start college classes soon. Yuck! But anyways tell me what you think, the reviews button is getting lonely.


	4. Bullets and Powder

**A/N:** Chapter 4 is up, and man I need a life. Good thing I didn't get fingeritis, and yes it is a word. Anyways, I'm putting a little action into this chapter, hope you all like it.

**Disclaimer:** I don not own Inuyasha or any of the characters involved in this story. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do however own the wonderful Sakaru the shapeshifter. Yay!

**Chapter Four: Bullets and Powder**

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Kagome wasn't eating much, even though the food was very good. She wasn't sure why she didn't seem to be very attracted to her date. Houjou kept making valiant attempts at making conversation, but each time, Kagome didn't pick up on the subject. She liked Houjou, sure, but at the moment, she just found him infinitely boring...

"Hey, Kagome-chan! Do you remember that time in gym class when Rie slipped on the track and broke her ankle? I heard that she got out of the hospital today."

"Mmm..." was Kagome's only response.

"Yeah," Houjou continued, oblivious to her indifference. "Her mom says that she was lucky that she didn't rupture a tendon or something."

Kagome's hands clenched under the table.

"Um, Houjou-kun? I think I'd like to go home now. I have a huge paper due tomorrow."

'I've gone through two and a half hours of this!' she reasoned. 'How much more should a girl have to take?'

"Uh, well, ok...If that's what you really want, Kagome," the boy replied, looking crestfallen.

Kagome nodded with an apologetic look on her face. She began to stand when Houjou grabbed her arm.

"Hey, how about dessert before we leave? This place makes the best chocolate eclairs!"

"Sorry, Houjou-kun, but I'd really like to go now," Kagome said, trying to pull her arm loose.

"Aw, come on! We could get it to go!"

"She SAID that she was ready to leave," an icy voice said from a few feet away. Kagome cringed and turned around, coming face-to-face with a very annoyed hanyou.

Inuyasha had been watching the pair since he had arrived. Just as he had begun to think that maybe, just MAYBE, 'Hoho' wasn't that bad, he saw, and heard, the exchange between them. He had hurried across the street to make sure Kagome was okay.

"Inuyasha? What are you doing here? I told you to stay at the shrine!" Kagome grumbled, secretly grateful that he'd come to rescue her from 'The Amazing, Fantastic Boring Boy'.

"He's staying at your shrine? Who IS this guy, Kagome-chan?" Houjou eyed Inuyasha with suspicion, taking in the white hair and gold eyes.

"I'm her - uh, I'm a houseguest," Inuyasha answered, stopping himself from saying "I'm her boyfriend" like he wanted to. He didn't think that Kagome would appreciate him saying that in front of this boy that she supposedly liked, or wanted to turn down. He felt a pang as he realized that this 'Hoho' was wanting to be her boyfriend now.

Kagome nodded vigorously. Houjou gave Inuyasha a sour look and said, "Ok, Kagome-chan. I'll take you home now." He dropped a tip on the table and stood.

Before Kagome could respond, Inuyasha said, "Naw, that's okay, Hoho. Since we're both headed to the same place, I'll walk her."

Houjou stepped up and glared at Inuyasha, trying to hide the fact that he was scared out of his wits.

"Well, she needs to get home. She has a paper to work on and-"

"Actually, Houjou-kun, I would enjoy walking home," Kagome interrupted.

Inuyasha looked triumphant while Houjou's face fell.

"Well, then I'll walk you!" Houjou said desperately.

"No way, buddy," Inuyasha countered. "What will you do about leaving your car here?"

Houjou reddened as he realized that Inuyasha was right.

Sighing heavily, he gave up. "Okay, Kagome-chan. I guess I'll...see you later then."

Kagome nodded. "Bye Houjou-kun."

When Houjou had driven off and Inuyasha and Kagome had begun the walk back to the shrine, Kagome sighed and smiled.

"Thanks, Inuyasha. That was really getting boring, and if you hadn't come, I probably would have never gotten out of there."

Inuyasha gawked at her. No yelling? No anger over interrupting her date? No 'Sit!s' for following her even when she told him not to? Instead of asking all of these questions and risking her wrath,

He settled to say, "You're welcome."

"Inuyasha? Why did you follow me in the first place?"

"I told you. I don't want you wandering around with weak little boys! You saw how he was acting when you wanted to leave. I just can't trust anyone else with you."

Kagome looked up into his golden eyes and smiled.

"I always feel safe around you, Inuyasha." She leaned her head on his shoulder and they continued to walk in silence. That is, until...

"Hey! White-haired freak! How about you leave your little slut girlfriend and finish your beef with me?" a voice rang out from behind them.

Inuyasha snarled and turned to lock eyes with the sandy-haired creep from Saturday. He now wore a few strips of gauze over his shattered nose. Inuyasha gently pulled away from Kagome and began to walk toward the 'Mad Groper'.

"Inuyasha, be careful. There's no telling why he's so confident now!" Kagome said, worried but quite eager to see Inuyasha kick some hentai butt.

Before she could even settle down to watch the action, however, she felt strong arms grab her wrists and waist. She twisted her head around to see five of the groper's friends holding her, each sneering crude remarks. One brushed his lips across her neck and she screamed.

Inuyasha looked back at Kagome when he heard her shout. He immediately took in the situation.

"Kagome!" he yelled, launching himself at the group of males surrounding her.

He swatted two of them away with the backs of his hands, rendering them unconscious. One of them got a blow to the stomach and fell to the ground, wheezing and blacking out. The fourth got a fist to the chin, sending him flying twenty feet away to land in a garbage can. The final jerk looked around at his fallen friends and took off, running as fast as he could away from Inuyasha. Inuyasha could have easily caught him, but he had bigger fish to fry...and bigger idiots to beat.

"Kagome, are you okay?" he asked. When she nodded, Inuyasha turned once again to the groper.

"Aww, are you mad because your girl got touched? She should be used to it now. Don't sluts do that kind of thing every day?" the groper yelled.

Despite his words, he was very pale, which made Kagome wonder why he wasn't running like the only one of his friends that was fit to run did.

Inuyasha sped toward the guy, not batting an eye when he pulled something metal out of his pocket. Every inch of the hanyou's skin burned with the desire to get revenge on this guy, and this time he wouldn't get off so easily...

Kagome saw the groper pull out the metal, and shouted, "Inuyasha! Get down! He's got a gun!"

Inuyasha turned and saw that the groper had a pistol aimed right between his eyes. No way, he thought, no way that I'm going to get killed by a human. Even I can't survive that! He made this deduction from what Kagome had told him about guns, and he turned out to be right. His demon blood did allow him to heal quickly, but if he was killed instantly...

Time seemed to stand still. Kagome looked on with tear-filled eyes. There was no way that she was going to tolerate losing Inuyasha! She racked her brain for ideas, but there seemed to be nothing that she could do - unless... She nodded her head, steeled her will, and shouted, "SIT!"

Just as the pistol went off, Inuyasha was jerked downward. With the subduing, Kagome had forced him out of the bullet's path! For a second, he silently congratulated her on her smarts, but then he realized that, with him out of the way, Kagome was in the line of fire! With a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, he turned to look back toward Kagome.

Kagome knew what was coming, but never had she experienced pain like this. The bullet plowed into her left shoulder, causing a web of pain to spread from the wound to the tips of her toes. The force of the slug threw her several feet backwards and she landed in a heap on the pavement. Her last coherent thought before she lost consciousness was: I'd do it again, Inuyasha. I'm never afraid to take a bullet for you... Her eyes closed and she fainted dead away.

"KAGOME! NOOOO!" Inuyasha howled in anguish. He turned furious eyes on the groper, who began to back away.

"I-I didn't know...I n-never thought that y-you would r-r-run right toward m-me if I had a-" His speech was cut short as Inuyasha delivered a powerful punch to his chest, breaking a few, if not all, of his ribs.

Which sent him flying down the street and crash-landing on a car roof. The car alarm blared, and people began to flood the street.

"Oh, my! What happened?"

"I thought I heard a gunshot!"

Inuyasha dropped his fists and ran to Kagome's side.

"Kagome?" he whispered.

"Kagome, why in the hell did you do that? Please, stay with me...I couldn't live with myself if you died! Kagome!" Inuyasha buried his face in her hair.

"Inu...yasha..." Kagome croaked, gasping with the effort it took to talk.

"I...I'll stay..." As she swooned again, Inuyasha was filled with so much emotion that it made his knees weak.

It seemed as if a barrier had been torn down inside of him. She took this bullet for him...she was willing to endure this pain for him... Inuyasha couldn't hold back any longer. He did something that he hadn't done since his mother died-

He cried.

He was still shedding silent tears into her hair when the police and paramedics arrived. It took quite a few policemen to hold the anguished hanyou back so that the paramedics could load Kagome into the ambulance. When a paramedic asked Inuyasha if he wanted to ride to the hospital with her, he nodded and leapt into the vehicle. Looking out of the back window, he saw several policemen swarming over the prostrate bodies of the Mad Groper and his friends. Apparently, some witnesses had told the police what had happened. Inuyasha only spoke once: to give the paramedics Kagome's name. He made sure to keep a firm grip on the fallen girl's right hand as they rode to the hospital. For once, he didn't care about the loud noises that the vehicle made, or that he was in close proximity to four humans who were treating Kagome. For once, he felt lost and useless. For all of his strength and his cunning, there was nothing that he could do for Kagome now, except be there for her. He could only hope that she would continue to be there for him.

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"WHAT?" Mrs. Higurashi yelped, leaping from her seat in the kitchen.

The police officer lowered his eyes soberly. "I'm sorry, ma'am. If you would like to see her, I think you could, now. After all, a young man has been there with her from the moment of the accident."

"A...a young man?" She was supposed to be with Houjou! she thought.

If he's the reason that this happened to my baby, I'll never forgive him! Mrs. Higurashi snatched up her purse from the kitchen table.

"Jii-chan, stay here with Souta!" she commanded.

The old man nodded gravely. "Of course."

Souta was standing beside his mother, eyes brimming with tears. Mrs. Higurashi could read the question in his eyes and slowly shook her head.

"No, darling. I don't know what kind of shape she's in. But I promise that you will see her soon." Souta opened his mouth as if to speak, then launched himself upstairs.

A few seconds later, the assembled heard the slam of a door and the unmistakable worried tears of a young boy.

Mrs. Higurashi sighed, then turned to the policeman. "I'm ready."

She walked out of the door, flanked by the policeman. Silently, she swore revenge on whoever had put her child's life in danger.

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"Higurashi Kagome? Oh, she's in room 241, ninth floor."

"Thanks," the woman answered, turning to walk toward the elevator.

Her long, white lab coat streamed out behind her and her long, black hair was twisted into a bun. She wore glasses with thin black frames. Stepping into the elevator and realizing that she was alone, she shed her human form. Watching the familiar cheetah pattern flow over the human skin, she sighed.

"That form is so uncomfortable..."

Seeing that she was nearing the desired floor, she took on her human appearance once more and began to walk toward Kagome's room. Once there, she took out the information sheets that were filled with information on Kagome's condition. Drawing a small amount of bluish powder from a pouch at her waist, she sprinkled it carefully over a choice phrase:

"Bruise the size of a large coin on right side of neck. Recommend further analysis."

The youkai carefully blew the powder off of the words...only now, there were no looked as if the paper had never been tampered with. I can't have someone trying to treat her infection, now can I? she thought. She entered the room silently. There she was, Higurashi Kagome. Kagome still hadn't regained consciousness, and as she stood there, she became aware of another prescence in the room.

That's Sesshoumaru's half-brother! she thought. Dammit! It would be risky to try something now! She sidled back out of the room, but before she closed the door completely, she removed a small quantity of a flesh-colored powder from a vial in her pocket. Holding this powder in her outstretched hand, she muttered:

"Hide the secret, make her clean Conceal that which must not be seen."

The mass of powder lifted from her hand and zoomed through the crack in the door. The youkai watched as it settled itself over Kagome's bruise.

Sakaru smiled contentedly. Sure, the concealing spell would wear off in a few days, but a few days were more than enough at this level of her transformation. Grinning broadly now, she fully closed the door and walked back down the hall, passing, along the way, the mother of the girl who she had just been to see.

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Inuyasha frowned in his half-asleep state. He didn't want to allow himself to give in fully to slumber, because he still had to keep an eye on Kagome. But what was it that had him feeling so uneasy? He pondered, and his eyes snapped fully open when his nose detected a faint whiff of a certain, disagreeable creature.

Inuyasha leapt from his chair and flung open the door. He didn't see the freakish shape-shifting youkai. He did, however, see someone else who smelled very human.

"Inuyasha!" Mrs. Higurashi sobbed as she dashed to the door where he stood.

"Is Kagome all right? Is she-"

She stopped when Inuyasha stepped aside and took off down the hall. She walked to Kagome's bedside and took in the girl's form. Her hair was unruly, a dark halo rimming the pale orb that was her face. She seemed so frail, so delicate, that Mrs. Higurashi didn't even dare to touch her skin. Instead, she sank into the chair vacated by Inuyasha and let her eyes rove over her poor daughter's face. She only looked up when Inuyasha returned, looking very angry.

"Inuyasha? Are you okay?"

The hanyou leaned against the wall facing Kagome's bed and raised his eyes to meet Mrs. Higurashi's. She nearly gasped when she saw his expression. His eyes were red and tired-looking, as if he hadn't slept in days. Dried tears streaked his cheeks and his mouth was contracted into a thin line. Mrs. Higurashi opened her mouth to say something, but...

"M...Mama?"

"Kagome! Oh, honey, how do you feel?"

"C...can I talk to...to Inu...yasha...alone?" Kagome's eyes were barely open, but Mrs. Higurashi could still see the pleading look in her eyes. Inuyasha instantly bolted to Kagome's side and gently put his hand on her arm.

Mrs. Higurashi looked from one to the other. "Ok, darling. I'll be back in 15 minutes."

"Thanks...Mom..." Mrs. Higurashi left, and a second later Kagome's eyes snapped fully open and she bolted upright in bed.

"Finally! I thought she'd never agree to leave!"

Inuyasha's mouth fell open. "Hey, shouldn't you be resting? You're hurt pretty badly, you know!"

Kagome smiled. It was a sad smile, however. She put one of her hands on Inuyasha's and shrugged her hospital gown off of the shoulder that had been shot. She lifted his claw and sliced through the bandages. Inuyasha flinched, expecting the flow of fresh blood-

But there was none. Kagome's shoulder had completely healed.

"Oh, shit." was all Inuyasha could get out of his mouth.

Kagome nodded in agreement.

"We have to go see Kaede, now. However, I can't ask my mom because she'd never let me go anywhere unless she figured that my wound was healed...and if she knew my wound was healed, she'd want an explanation that I really don't want to give!"

When Kagome paused for a breath, Inuyasha asked her a question.

"Did you take that bullet because you knew you could survive it, or-"

Kagome put a finger to his lips. "Inuyasha. I took that bullet to save your life, and for nothing else. I wasn't trying to test my new youkai powers or anything. Just call it payback for all the times that you've done the same for me."

Emotion swam into Inuyasha's eyes, and he tried to speak. He halted, however, when Kagome removed her finger from his lips...

And replaced it with her own.

This kiss felt even more amazing than the one that she had given him at the mall. Maybe it was because he was absolutely sure, this time, that this kiss was meant for him, not for show. When he felt her mouth part, he slowly probed his tongue inside, and gasped in his mind when he felt the fangs there. As a human, she had been uncomfortably attractive to him. Now, as a quickly developing youkai, she was irresistible. Inuyasha twisted his hand into her hair, and Kagome pressed a palm into the small of his back. They stayed this way for hours, or so it seemed, until a voice rang out from down the hall.

"I'm back, you two! I hope you didn't do anything disagreeable while I was away!" Mrs. Higurashi called.

Kagome pulled away from Inuyasha and looked around frantically.

"The window!" she hissed. He nodded in comprehension.

"I brought you some coffee, Inuyasha! You looked...like...you deserved...some..." Mrs. Higurashi trailed off as she saw the empty bed where her daughter had been only minutes before.

The coffee cup clashed to the ground and shattered. She ran over to the bed and saw, upon it, Kagome's bloodied bandages. She then noticed the flapping of the window curtain and ran to it, peering out into the blackness.

"INUYASHA!" She yelled. "YOU"LL PAY FOR TAKING MY BABY!" She stared for a few moments more before dissolving into tears.

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Inuyasha ran at breakneck speed through the night, Kagome clinging tightly to his shirt. He wanted to get out of range before Kagome's mom saw them and followed them or something. At some point in the trip, his hat flew off, but he gave it no mind. He wouldn't need it where he was going.

They were nearly inside the well house before Kagome gasped, "Inuyasha! I need my pack! And you need your fire-rat kimono! Tetsusaiga, too!"

Inuyasha pulled a face that showed that he was very pissed to have Kagome spend any second longer than she had to in this time. But still, he didn't want to return to the Sengoku Jidai without his weapon. Sighing, he leapt up to the window of her room and slowly lowered her inside. He followed her and crept downstairs to retrieve his kimono and his sword. When he returned, now wearing his normal clothes and with Tetsusaiga at his side, Kagome was sitting at her desk, apparently writing something.

"Hey, bitch! Hurry up! We don't have all day for you to sit here and write letters, you know!"

"Shhh, Inuyasha!" she hissed. "And if you think that I'm going anywhere while I know that I'm making Mom worry, you're sadly mistaken!" With that, she signed her name at the bottom of the letter and placed it carefully on her bed. Snagging her enormous yellow backpack, she turned to Inuyasha and nodded.

"Okay, let's go."

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**A/N:** That's it for chapter 4! Please feed the orphan review button, he would appreciate it.


	5. Full Hanyou, and Confrontations

**A/N: **Sorry for the inconvenience that my stupid computer caused, I unfortunately had ch 3 and 4 the same, and for that I'm sorry. It should be fine now. But Anyways Chapter 5 is now up! I'm now bring in the other characters you know and love.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, or any of the characters in the wonderful anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do however own the awesome Sakaru!

**Chapter Five: Full Hanyou, and Confrontations**

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Inuyasha barely had one foot out of the window when a choked noise came from near the door. The pair whirled to see a very astonished Souta staring at them.

"Nee...nee-chan?"

"Souta...please, just go to bed. It's so late that it's almost morning. Don't tell mom you saw me here, it would just make her even angrier at me."

"You...you're all right!" the boy yelped, throwing himself forward to hug Kagome's waist.

Kagome nodded, trying to look gentle but feeling very pressed for time. "Souta, you have to try and understand. Inuyasha and I are going away again and..." her voice cracked.

"And I don't know when we'll be back. Just watch over Mom and Jii-chan, okay?"

Souta nodded and raised his eyes to hers. Therefore, she could see when a change came over the boy's face and he no longer looked relieved, but scared.

"Souta?"

The boy leapt backward, tripped over the bed, and ran to the door.

"Souta? What is it?" Kagome asked, confused about what could make him react in such a manner.

Souta merely shook his head. "I won't tell anyone you were here, inu-no- onee-chan!"

With this, he raced from the room.

Kagome stared after him. "Did he just call me...Dog-Eared Sister?"

Inuyasha refused to meet her gaze. With a strangled cry, she lowered herself from his back and looked in the mirror. Her ears had migrated to the top of her head. On top of that, her claws had fully elongated to Inu- Youkai length. She blinked furiously as she locked eyes with her mirror self and focused on her own eyes, which were a shocking silver-violet color. Kagome ran her fingers through her hair, where she could see faint glints of white winking at her. Also, she noted that her hair had lengthened. It now reached past her behind. Kagome turned frustrated eyes to Inuyasha, who looked calm, but inside, he was filled with worry. 'Why was this transformation happening this quickly? She's already hanyou!' he thought. 'At this rate, it'll take nowhere near 3 weeks for her full transformation!'

Kagome, meanwhile, had tied her now-long hair behind her in a low ponytail. Looking at Inuyasha, she sighed.

"Now that Souta knows," she began, "I suppose there's no harm in taking a little extra time. I really don't want to go there in hospital garb."

She pulled an outfit out of the closet. "Turn around. If you peek, I'll tear you to pieces."

Inuyasha winced and turned around obediently. When he felt her climb onto his back with the loaded pack once more, he leapt out of the window and ran toward the well house.

Once inside, Kagome leapt down immediately. She was surrounded by the blue light that welcomed her to the Sengoku Jidai. She could feel Inuyasha's presence above her and, without thinking, vaulted herself out of the well. She landed softly on the ground and waited for Inuyasha to join her.

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Shippou sniffed the air. "I smell Inuyasha!"

The kitsune exclaimed, dancing around in circles. "That must mean he brought Kagome back!"

"I must say, I am very surprised that Kagome voluntarily gave up on the bet," Miroku said sleepily, his eyes closed and his back against a tree.

Shippou suddenly stopped prancing. "But...but I don't smell Kagome!"

Sango sat up, yawning. "What? But he wouldn't have returned without her! Also, she definitely wouldn't have let him return. They still had three weeks left in Kagome's time!"

Miroku finally opened his eyes. "Maybe something has happened..." He leapt to his feet.

"Come on, we have to find them!"

Shippou immediately leapt to Miroku's shoulder and pointed in the direction of Inuyasha's scent. Sango roused her sleeping neko-youkai and tossed her into the air. Instantly, Kirara transformed and Miroku, Sango, and Shippou leapt onto her back.

"Go, Kirara!" Sango yelled. 'If he's let anything go wrong, I'll kill him myself.' she thought coldly.

Inuyasha had just stepped out of the well, and man, was he surprised. "Whoa..." was the only word that he could force past his lips at the moment.

Kagome was wearing a short, red kimono, not short like her sailor uniform used to be, but a decent length, just above her knees. Her hair, pulled up behind her, seemed to glow in the rising sunlight. Her eyes seemed to be alive with a power of their own. She was the personification of beauty.

"K...Kagome...wh-"

She cut him off. "Well, I figure that since I have all of these new abilities, I can help you fight! And fighting doesn't work that well in a outfit! How would I concentrate on youkai while worrying about everyone looking up my skirt?"

Inuyasha smiled a genuine smile. "I just mean that you look wonderful."

Kagome eyed him suspiciously. 'Hmm...' she thought. 'Why is he being so nice all of a sudden?' Before she could open her mouth, however, an orange furball collided with Inuyasha's chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Inuyasha!" Shippou squeaked.

"Why didn't you bring Kagome with you? And who's THIS?" He demanded, turning wary eyes on Kagome.

The kitsune wasn't able to question Inuyasha further, however, because the hanyou had pried Shippou off of his chest and was pounding him on the top of his head.

"What'd I tell you about hugging me, you stupid brat?"

Shippou screamed and Kagome could take it no longer. "SIT BOY!" She shouted, wincing as she saw Shippou become crushed under Inuyasha's weight.

"Uh-oh..."

Kagome ran over and flipped Inuyasha off of Shippou, both of whom were unconscious, the former because he clocked his head on a rock as he went down, the latter from being squished by Inuyasha. She would have inspected them more closely, but a cry from the woods made her leap to her feet.

"Hiraikotsu!"

Sango's boomerang hit the spot where Kagome had been standing only moments before. Luckily, her new hanyou powers provided her with speed and strength to rival Inuyasha's.

Sango and Miroku ran over to the fallen forms of the kitsune and the hanyou.

"They are both unconscious. If Inuyasha could not stand up to this demon, how can we?" Miroku mused, his eyes raising to Kagome.

Sango scoffed. "We can do our best!"

She ran over to the spot where her Hiraikotsu rested, where it had gotten stuck in the ground when she attacked, so it couldn't return, and turned once more to face Kagome, who had taken refuge in a tree.

Kagome was racking her brain for ideas on how to convince Miroku and Sango of who she really was. She knew that, in her current state, they would just believe that she was a youkai who had stolen Kagome's voice to trick them.

Kagome was forced to move as Sango's boomerang splintered the tree directly in the spot that she had just vacated. Kagome decided to take her chances.

"Sango-chan! Houshi-sama! It's me, Kagome!"

Miroku looked up at her, an expression of disgust on his face.

"Yeah, right, youkai! You are just trying to fool us so that we will spare your life! Well, we will never let you escape!"

Kagome's head dropped. She knew that they would react like this. Sighing, Kagome lowered herself to the ground.

"There is a hole in your right hand, Miroku-sama. It will eventually kill you if we can not completely destroy Naraku. Sango-chan, you have a little brother that was taken by Naraku and controlled. We fought him a while back, and we won, remember? Only he wasn't really killed, because his soul escaped."

Sango and Miroku gazed at her in shock for a few seconds, but then their faces became stony again.

"Kagome was a human, youkai! You could have extracted the information from her and then killed her! Y-" Sango cut off when she felt a hand grasp her ankle.

Inuyasha slowly stood. "It IS her. It's a long story, you guys. We came here to speak with Kaede. Maybe you should come along to hear the full story." With that, he sped off in the direction of Kaede's hut.

Miroku looked back at Kagome, puzzled, before hurrying off after Inuyasha. Sango made a pained face.

"I'm sorry, Kagome-chan. I should have realized that it was you."

"Don't worry about it, Sango-chan. I don't even recognize myself."

Sango smiled faintly before mounting Kirara. "Um, Kagome-chan? Can you..." She nodded pointedly in the direction that the men had sped off in.

Kagome nodded and Sango took to the skies.

Sighing, Kagome lifted Shippou's still-inert body from the ground. "I just hope Kaede can do something for me," she whispered before following the others.

She traveled through the trees...just like Inuyasha.

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Kaede stared for a moment upon opening the door to her hut. "Kagome-san? Is that ye, child?"

The others, except Inuyasha, who looked bored, and Shippou, who was still knocked out, bowed their heads in shame. Kaede read the expressions on their faces and consoled them instantly.

"Be ye not ashamed. I can read Kagome's aura, and it is by this that I knew that it was not a regular youkai. Anyone who knew no better would assume the worst."

At this, everyone seemed to perk up a little. Before they could vent their relief, however, Inuyasha butted in, apathetic as usual.

"Okay, are we done talking now? If so, how about you drop the idle chitchat and get to finding a cure already!"

Kaede frowned. "First, Inuyasha, it may be wise for ye to explain the circumstances." She gave him a cold, but teasing stare.

Inuyasha flushed as he realized that he had told the old woman nothing about the situation. Everyone laughed, and the tension within the group was broken. Still chucking to herself, Kaede opened the door wider and beckoned them all inside.

Once seated in a circle around Kaede's teapot, she served each of them tea in turn. Once everyone had been provided for, the old woman took up her own cup and sipped, allowing her eyes to slide to Inuyasha. The hanyou gave her an irritated look before he remembered that he was supposed to be explaining. Heaving a deep sigh, he began:

"It started two days ago..."

'Has it been two days already?' Kagome asked herself. She wasn't really listening to Inuyasha, since she already knew the story better than even he did. She did look up, however, when, after Inuyasha had finished and the group sat in silent contemplation, a voice spoke.

"Siaku Powder, eh? I have heard of such a substance that is only manufactured in the Northern Lands..."

Inuyasha slanted his eyes to glance at his right shoulder. "Are you gonna be helpful, flea, or should I swat you right now?"

Myouga flinched at the thought, then hopped to the floor, just to be safe.

"Ahem...as I was saying, Lord Inuyasha, if the poison comes from there, then so should the cure!"

Kaede nodded slowly. "Aye. That does make sense. But to go there, ye would be putting your lives into mortal danger."

Kagome opened her mouth for the first time since the laughing fit at the door. "Kaede-baa-chan, what's there to endanger us? Some demon that we'd have to fight, or something? Because if so, I think I could be of some help now!"

Myouga answered this question. "There are more than just demons protecting those lands, Kagome-sama. There are powerful spells, traps, and poisons awaiting those who are foolish enough to go there."

Inuyasha lost his temper at this. "So WHY in the HELL did you tell us if we can't even go there without ending up dead?"

Myouga looked back defiantly, and was beginning to answer when Inuyasha suddenly slammed his hand down into the little flea, crushing him and his response.

Sango glared. "Inuyasha, he was about to-" Her angry reply was cut off when Kagome clapped a hand over her mouth, silencing her as well.

As if on cue, both Kagome and Inuyasha hissed, "Shhhh..." They both tilted their noses upward slightly and sniffed the air.

Inuyasha let out a growl that was almost a bark and heaved himself from the floor, bursting out of the door and into the light of the now fully risen sun. Kagome followed on his heels, leaving the others sitting, flabbergasted, in their wake. "Wha-" Miroku began, but he cut himself off as Shippou suddenly regained his wits, leapt to his feet, and began to scramble to the door as well. Miroku put on a stern face and- *WHAM*-pinned Shippou to the floor with the end of his staff.

"Ow, Miroku! Lemme go! Lemme go!"

"Where are Inuyasha and Kagome going, Shippou? What did they smell?"

Shippou struggled a little more, until he realized that Miroku wasn't going to let him go unless he told them. "We all smelled it!"

"WHAT, Shippou?" Sango yelled losing all patience.

"Kouga! Now lemme goooooo!"

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**A/N:** What? Did you think I wouldn't put him in this story? I really don't like Kouga, so don't get mad at me for what Inuyasha does to him. This chapter was a little shorter than I anticipated but should be longer ones in the future, I promise. Please review!


	6. Stand Off Human Inuyasha VS Kouga part 1

**A/N:** Chapter 6 is up, and boy am I a little beat, but Its all worth it in the long run. So yeah, I'm putting a little twist to the story.

**Disclaimer:** I don not own Inuyasha, or any of the characters in the anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do however own Sakaru.

**Chapter Six: Stand Off, Human Inuyasha VS. Kouga Part One  
**

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Kaede had agreed to stay behind to talk with Myouga about a plan to infiltrate the Northern Lands. She looked slightly worried for them, while Myouga just looked happy to be left out of danger.

Sango, Miroku, and Shippou mounted Kirara once again and they took off in the direction that Shippou pointed. The group rode in silence for several minutes before spotting the pair in a clearing and landing.

"KAGOMEEEEE!" Shippou screamed, hugging her as he couldn't before (it's very hard to hug someone when you're unconscious, and before he wasn't sure who she was). When Kagome made no move to hug him back, however, he became instantly worried and stared at the space where her eyes were fixed.

A small tornado had begun to gyrate in front of them. Sango and Miroku readied their weapons while Inuyasha and Kagome tensed for a fight. And a fight was definitely promised when they saw the shape of the wolf youkai inside of the tornado. They heard him snickering as he stepped out of the whirling wind, which disappeared in his absence.

Inuyasha's growls grew in intensity as Kouga approached. "Inuyasha..." he said. "I have no desire to fight you now...as long as you disclose to me the location of my beloved Kagome."

"Hey! I'm not yours, moron!" Kagome yelled, then clapped her hands over her mouth. 'Oh, great, idiot!' she thought. 'Now he knows who you are!'

Inuyasha apparently thought the same thing. "Stupid bitch! What did you tell him that for?" Inside, Inuyasha was fuming. 'If *I* can barely contain myself when I'm around her, what about this immoral jerk?'

Kouga turned interested eyes on Kagome, then whistled appreciatively.

"Whoaaa...dog-shit, I'm not sure what you did, but whatever it was, I thank you. Mating with Kagome should be even more pleasurable no-"

His sentence was cut short when Inuyasha launched himself at Kouga, who sidestepped out of the way, leaving the hanyou to skid to an unsteady halt, raising dust. He immediately threw himself back again, aiming for Kouga's face.

Kouga sighed in a bored manner and was about to dodge when he noticed a blur of movement at his other side. 'Ka...Kagome?' he thought, just before her fist collided with his side. He gasped in pain and shock, and became too preoccupied to remember to dodge Inuyasha's attack...

**CRUNCH**

Kouga was sent flying by the force of Inuyasha's strike. He hit several trees before rolling to a stop, bleeding and out cold.

Normally, Inuyasha would be gloating about how he'd kicked the annoying wolf's ass, but now he just stared at Kagome, as did the rest of the group. "Kagome...where did you learn THAT?"

Kagome scoffed and turned her nose up. "You don't think I learned anything watching you fight?"

Inuyasha gazed at her for a moment. Kagome watched him as well. The others were totally lost. They were about to ask what was going on when Kagome suddenly leapt at Inuyasha, raking her claws along his arm. He growled and tossed her loose. She landed and tottered for a bit before attacking again.

"What is going on here? It looks as if they are fighting each other!" Miroku said, watching the scene with a tight grip on his staff in case he had to break up the fight.

"They're playing!" Shippou exclaimed.

"Playing?" Miroku echoed, watching as one of Kagome's claws nicked Inuyasha's cheek, drawing blood. "That sure doesn't look like playing!"

"Well, maybe playing isn't the right word. But anyway, it's something that my dad used to do with me before...well, you know..." The kitsune trailed off for a bit, but picked up fairly quickly.

"You fight each other except...well, you avoid really hurting each other. It's like...sparring! Yeah! You do it when you want to test your strength or learn new abilities. You can even do it to get stronger!"

Sango and Miroku nodded in understanding, then turned again to watch the fight. Kagome had Inuyasha by his left wrist and he had her by her right with that same hand. With a snarl, Inuyasha jumped up and flipped backward, pressing his feet to her chest and sending her crashing into the ground. Kagome hopped up again and rushed Inuyasha, colliding with his stomach and taking him down. Once there, she decided to try to end the fight quickly, but she never got the chance. Inuyasha hooked one of his legs into hers and flipped the pair of then over backwards, so that he was now on top of her. With one swift movement, he closed a hand around her neck and lunged, bringing his claws toward her face.

Sango gasped. "He...he wouldn't!"

Of course, she was right. Inuyasha stopped his attack millimeters away from hitting her. He stared at Kagome's frightened and ashamed face. In a few moments, he could hold back no longer and burst into gales of laughter. He rolled off of her, clutching his stomach with the force of his mirth.

Kagome sat up and sulked. "No fair...you grew up doing stuff like this!"

"B...but you...your face when..." Inuyasha gave up trying to talk and dissolved into giggles again. Before long, Kagome had joined him, and they both were still laughing when Sango and Miroku approached.

"Ahem...if you two are done, I think we should get out of here before Kouga wakes up," Miroku said, pointing in the direction where the wolf youkai still lay.

This wiped the smiles off of both of their faces. They nodded guiltily and stood. Kagome's hair had fallen loose during her match with Inuyasha, and she sighed when she couldn't find her ribbon anywhere. Giving up all hope, she nodded to her friends and took off again in the direction of Kaede's hut.

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In the woods, Kouga groaned, clutching his head. 'Did my own woman really attack me?' he asked himself. 'My gentle, sweet Kagome would never do such a thing! That dog-shit must have her bewitched! I swear that I won't let that conniving hanyou keep my love!' Groaning again, he clenched his side where she had punched him. 'And I may need reinforcements...'

Kouga once again formed his whirlwind about him and sped off in the direction where he knew his fellow wolves were waiting. 'This time,' he thought, 'I plan to do more than take Kagome...'

Kouga laughed to himself and shouted, "You DIE tomorrow, Inuyasha!"

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Kagome was following Inuyasha through the trees while the others rode Kirara. She kept her eyes locked on the back of his head as she leapt. 'Why in the world did I do that? I must be developing faster than I thought if I have instincts like that! I'll have to ask Kaede...'

While she brooded, Inuyasha was deep in thought as well. 'She's so beautiful as a hanyou. I wish she could stay this way, but I know she wants to be with her family...And I don't want that wolf following us around.' At the thought of Kouga, his fists tightened so that his claws drew blood from his palms. 'Make no mistake,' he thought, 'he dies next time.'

The group finally reached Kaede's and let themselves inside. At their appearance, Kaede beckoned them to sit down, saying,

"Have ye yet disposed of Kouga?"

Inuyasha growled, "We're working on it..."

Kagome attracted Kaede's attention and asked, "Well, have you found anything out?" She had a pleading look in her silver eyes.

"Aye, child. The remedy that ye all seek lies in the middle of the Northern Lands...in the lair of the Taiyoukai of that region."

Everyone but Kagome flinched slightly. Instead, she wrinkled her nose. "Taiyoukai?"

Kaede explained, "Do ye know how Inuyasha's father was the great ruler of the Western Lands? Well, this demon is as powerful, if not more powerful, than even he was. Ye must all work together, and none should ever be out of sight of the other."

Inuyasha turned to her. "So, Kaede-baba, does that mean that we have to kill this Taiyoukai or what? Because if we do, bring it on, I'm itching for a fight."

"Perhaps ye will fight him, Inuyasha, but first things first. We must get ye to the lair. The flea has told ye already of the dangers that await ye."

Myouga jumped onto Inuyasha's knee at this sentence.

"Yes, Lord Inuyasha. The area is filled with poisonous gases and toxic waters. However...there is one path that can be taken to reach Inazuma's castle unscathed."

"Inazuma? Lightning?" Inuyasha said thoughtfully.

"Yes, Lord Inuyasha. He is so named because he commands supreme power over the fires of the skies. But in order for him to receive this power, he must channel it to his body. In doing so, he creates a rift in the noxious atmosphere of the area."

Inuyasha squashed the flea with his thumb. "Get to the point!"

The flattened Myouga swelled back up to his normal shape with a soft 'pop', looking very irritated. "I was just getting to that...if you travel due north from here, you will meet up with this rift. As long as you stay within it, you should be able to practically walk up to Inazuma's front door. However, you must be aware that youkai still roam the forest and can attack at any time. Inside of the castle, in a lower area, is an indoor garden. I am told that there are two halves to this garden. One is filled with creeping yellow vines, the other with beautiful blue flowers. The vines yield Siaku Powder, while the flowers yield the antidote."

After this speech, everyone nodded to show that they understood. Kagome, however, still wanted her question answered. "Why am I hanyou when I still have over 2 weeks until the powder takes full effect? Shouldn't I be completely transformed in 2 more days, then?" She blurted the questions in a rush.

"Nay, child," Kaede answered. "Ye will remain a half-demon until the night of your full transformation. This is fortunate, for it will allow ye to keep your head while having hanyou abilities."

Kagome sighed in relief, as did Inuyasha. He had been wondering the same thing for a long time, and he was glad that he didn't have to make himself look like a fool by asking.

"It would be best if you all leave as soon as possible," Myouga continued. "I don't know how long it will take you to get to Inazuma's castle. Also...Kagome-sama, Kaede would like for you to take this..."

Kaede reached for a covered parcel behind her and slowly unwrapped it. It was a beautiful sword that ended in a hilt reinforced with strips of leather. It looked very expensive, and also very old.

Kaede began to speak. "This sword was meant to be given to Kikyou, but she chose her bow over it. It holds immense power, but no one has ever been able to master it. Just because ye are half-demon, never forget that ye also are half-human...half-miko. Your powers may be greatly diminished, but the demon half of ye more than makes up for it. It may be meant for ye and ye alone."

Kagome slowly reached for the hilt of the sword and flinched when she touched it, as if expecting it to shock her. When nothing out of the ordinary happened, she lifted it out of Kaede's hands.

"Thank you, Kaede- baa-chan. I will cherish it." Kaede smiled and handed her a sheath and belt for her newly acquired weapon. When she had it on, she smiled and turned to the rest of the group. "Well, it's still the middle of the day! I say let's go!"

She bolted out of the door, Inuyasha following her and yelling, "Kagome! Wait up!" One by one, the others left until only Miroku, Myouga, and Kaede remained.

"Tell me, Kaede-baba. What is it that you do not want to disclose to Kagome or Inuyasha?" Miroku demanded, standing and holding his staff at his side.

The old woman sighed. "Ah, so ye saw through me, child. I knew ye would. I have not told Kagome of my one fear..."

"That would be...?" Miroku prompted, watching the others grow farther and farther away.

"I fear that Kagome will never be able to be fully Human again."

Miroku paled. "Wh...why not?"

"The Siaku Powder is changing her fully, child. The antidote will most likely do nothing more than halt this process." Kaede hung her head, her posture making her look even older.

"Please, tell not the others. It will cause too much pain for them all."

"But...there is still hope?"

Kaede didn't reply. Miroku gazed at her for a long time before he heard Sango cry, "Houshi-sama! Come on!"

Miroku turned to the door. "Pray that you're wrong," he said, without turning around. Then, he dashed off after the others.

"I shall..." Kaede whispered, closing the door to her hut slowly.

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The group had been traveling for several hours now. Inuyasha and Kagome, with Shippou on her shoulder, were leading the group and Sango wasn't far behind, riding Kirara. Miroku was bringing up the rear, brooding. Sango looked back and noticed this. Coaxing Kirara to a halt, she leapt from the neko-youkai's back and walked back toward the monk.

"Houshi-sama? What is troubling you?" She asked, watching his face.

Miroku seemed to snap out of his trance. "Eh? Oh, nothing, Sango-chan. I...am merely concerned for Kagome."

"Well, there's nothing to worry about! Kaede will prepare the antidote, and at the rate they're going."

She jerked her thumb toward the hanyous, "It will take no time to get there."

Miroku sighed. "Yes, I know. But I can't help but worry." 'You would worry too if you knew what I know,' he thought.

Sango sighed. "Well, if you're not going to tell me, the least you could do is perk up a little. Inuyasha and Kagome won't give up as easily as I have. Stop moping and shape up!"

With that, she quickened her pace to catch up with Kirara, leaving Miroku alone once more.

Miroku raised his eyes to look at her retreating form. "Sango..." he whispered. 'She's right,' he thought. 'I have to stop this! Instead, I must do all I can for Kagome!' With a resolute look on his face, he hurried to catch up with the group.

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Inuyasha glanced back at Kagome, who was keeping up with him fairly well. For a while now, he had begun to think that there was something different about her. Duh, besides the fact that she was hanyou. He just couldn't put his finger on it! That was, until she turned her head to look back at Sango and Miroku.

Eyes widening, he skidded to a halt, almost falling off of the tree branch that he had just jumped to. When Kagome noticed that he had stopped, she followed suit, pausing just a few trees behind.

"What is it?" she asked.

Inuyasha dropped to the ground and beckoned for her to do the same. When the others had finally caught up with them, Miroku looked slightly dazed and Sango looked pissed. 'Oh, well,' Sango thought, dismounting. 'At least he's back to normal.' Aloud, she said, "Why have we stopped, Inuyasha?"

"Kagome, what happened to that bruise?" he asked, ignoring Sango completely.

"Uh, wha-" She broke off as she remembered looking in the mirror at her house and seeing her hair...her nails...her eyes...but no bruise... Her musings were interrupted, however, when Inuyasha suddenly grabbed her and pressed his nose to the place where the bruise used to be.

Kagome blushed. "Um, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha pulled back and snarled. "That damn shapeshifter! But when could she have..." he trailed off as he remembered:

*Inuyasha frowned in his half-asleep state. He didn't want to allow himself to give in fully to slumber, because he still had to keep an eye on Kagome. But what was it that had him feeling so uneasy? He pondered, and his eyes snapped fully open when his nose detected a faint whiff of a certain, disagreeable creature.

Inuyasha leapt from his chair and flung open the door. He didn't see the freakish shape-shifting youkai...*

"Dammit! She could've done...anything..." Anger flooded Inuyasha's features as he growled. 'I refuse to believe that I let that damn thing get close enough to cast some kind of spell on her. Stupid!' he thought. To her, he said, "Kagome, stay in one of our sights. Trust no one. That dipshit youkai is more cunning than we knew. She had the opening to kill you in that hospital!"

"Inuyasha, baka! Didn't we already discuss that she didn't want to kill me? Plus, I can take care of myself now!"

"Well, that doesn't stop me from w-" he cut off his sentence abruptly. "I mean, fine. Do whatever the hell you want. See if I care, bitch." He leapt back up into a tree and sat down. "Let's stay here for the night. The sun's going down."

Kagome watched him carefully. Did he almost say that he was worried about her? A scream and a slap from Sango shook her from her thoughts, and she sighed as she took out her sleeping bag. 'I'm fully aware that we kissed twice,' she thought, 'But both times, we never really talked about it. Is he just responding to me because I look like Kikyou, or is he truly interested?' She huffed in disgust as she settled down to sleep. 'Will he ever actually be over her?'

Shippou crept into the space under Kagome's chin and curled up with his tail over his nose. Kagome smiled and shifted to make room for him before falling into a deep slumber.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, wasn't so content. He had been watching the setting sun, and was racked with a sudden draining feeling as the sun disappeared and the moon took its place...except there was no moon. "Shit!" he hissed, trying to slide out of the tree before he lost all of his hanyou abilities. He landed normally, but his legs still quivered when he hit the ground. Sitting at the foot of the tree, he watched as the transformation completed itself. Human again. "Shit!" he whispered again, knowing that he would get no sleep that night. Oh, how right he was.

Yellow eyes blinked and faded into the distance, a faint howl going unheard by Inuyasha's human ears.

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Kouga blinked in wonder, then laughed. "Human? He's human? Tonight, of all nights! Hmm, that calls for a change in plan. Forget waiting for morning! We attack now!"

The wolf lowered his eyes, knowing that he would truly regret his next statement. "Kouga-sama, you would truly attack Inuyasha when he is defenseless? Have you no honor?"

Kouga stopped laughing and turned chilly eyes on the wolf, who turned as if to run. Too late. The surrounding wolves shut their eyes tight at the howl that emanated from their poor brother just before he was decapitated.

"Do any more of you wish to question my judgment?" Kouga asked, flicking blood from his claws as he spoke.

In unison, the wolves muttered, "No, Kouga-sama."

"Good. Remember, the girl is not to be harmed. Bring her here, and await my arrival. Remember, no one..." He kicked the body of the dead wolf into the underbrush. "NO ONE is to question me. And no one is to kill the dog-shit." He grinned a smile full of malice. "I will do that myself."

Kouga began to laugh and the wolves joined in, their laughter merging and forming one single, howling sound. This howl erupted over the trees and birds awoke and fled their homes, frightened. The sound encompassed several miles, and did not go unnoticed by a certain person...

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Kagome couldn't move, couldn't speak. It was as if her entire body had frozen up at the sight of Inuyasha. They were back in yesterday, and that guy still had a gun pointed directly at Inuyasha's skull. For a moment, Kagome panicked, but then she remembered that she could just subdue him like she did before. She tried to scream the word, only remembering too late that she had been stricken dumb. She could only look on in horror as the gun fired and Inuyasha's cry of rage was cut short as he fell to the ground, unmoving.

All of a sudden, Kagome's spell broke and she rushed forward. "Inuyasha!" she yelled, her grief putting her in physical pain. Slowly she raised her eyes to his killer. "Why? WHY?"

The groper began to chuckle, and as she watched, he took on a much more familiar form...

"Kouga?" she whispered in disbelief. The wolf youkai only smiled before tossing her over his shoulder and zooming off, a howl escaping his lips as they left Inuyasha's dead body on the ground.

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**A/N :** That's It for chapter 6! No Kouga doesn't not kill Inuyasha, otherwise there would be no story. So please review, and tell me what you think.


	7. Stand Off Human Inuyasha VS Kouga part 2

**A/N: **Chapter 7 is up! Now things are getting interesting. Thank you to all who review, and rest assured that the little problems are wrong.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha, or any of the characters in the wonderful anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do however own the awesome shapeshifter named Sakaru!

**Chapter Seven: Stand Off, Human Inuyasha VS. Kouga Part Two**

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"NO!" Kagome shrieked, throwing herself forward so quickly that she catapulted Shippou about 20 feet away. Everyone's eyes flew open, except Inuyasha's, his eyes had been open the whole time. The rest of the gang sat up, concern all over their faces.

Miroku spoke first. "Kagome-sama, what's wrong?"

Before Kagome could answer him, she felt bile rising in her throat. She pulled herself from her sleeping bag and stumbled over to the bushes, where she proceeded to be violently sick.

Sango rushed over immediately and put a hand on the shaking girl's shoulder. "Kagome-chan?"

Kagome didn't reply. She just continued to shake and gasp, horrified at what her own dream had shown her. After a long while, she finally managed to stand and shakily say, "It's okay, everyone, it was just a bad dream."

"Yeah? Well if a dream could scare you that much, I'm surprised you don't go running away every time we get into a battle," Inuyasha sneered from the shadows.

Kagome fumed and chucked a rock at him.

"Erk!" was the only sound that escaped his lips before the rock collided with his head in a storm of black hair. Wait...black?

"Inuyasha! Why didn't you tell anyone that it was your night tonight?"

Inuyasha shook his head to clear his eyes of swirly lines before replying.

"Hmph. You make it seem like a big deal or something. I'll be okay in the morning and then we can pick up this qu...What?"

Kagome had turned her head to face a certain area of the forest and her features radiated anger. She had heard the collective howl.

"Kouga's back!" she spat.

Inuyasha instantly jumped to his feet. "Where? I'll kill the bastard, I swear I will!"

Everyone sweatdropped for a second before Sango stated the obvious.

"Not as a human, you won't."

"I'll damn well try," He scoffed, turning to face the indicated patch of trees.

"Inuyasha," Miroku began, gathering Shippou from the ground and placing him on Kirara, who was now in battle mode.

"You know that it would be foolish for you to pick a fight with him now. I think you should get on Kirara and retreat. At least you'll have your life." Miroku suggested.

"But not my PRIDE!" Inuyasha hollered back, holding Tetsusaiga at the ready.

"There's no way I'm gonna run from that wimpy wolf!"

Kagome opened her mouth to voice her opinion, but never got the chance as about two dozen wolves burst from the brush.

Sango immediately leapt into action. "Hiraikotsu!" she yelled, hitting four of them and sending them flying.

Miroku followed her lead and was soon amid the fracas, alternating between dodging attacks and whacking wolves with his staff.

Shippou sat up, took in the situation, and thought furiously. What could he do? Racking his brain, he finally remembered what he had done the last time he was faced with lots of wolves. "Multiply!" he yelled, tossing a handful of leaves into the air.

Now, the battle was complicated. Inuyasha just watched with a surprised look on his face as the others worked frantically, not allowing a single wolf to get close enough to attack Inuyasha, let alone close enough for him to attack. All he could do was watch as a wolf bit into a fake Shippou that disappeared, leaving Kagome free to take him out while he was disoriented. Miroku sucked up a few with his kazaana before closing it quickly, allowing Sango safety when she jumped back to take yet another swing with her boomerang. Kirara zoomed here and there, biting or clawing a wolf before leaping off into the sky, out of reach, until she saw an opening to attack again.

It was mainly Kagome that he watched, however. She moved like liquid, her strikes so graceful and yet so powerful that a wolf never regained his feet after a confrontation with her. Soon, all of the wolves were down, and they all returned to where they had left Inuyasha, at the foot of the tree.

Kagome, Shippou, and Kirara were unscathed, but Miroku had a nasty cut above his left eyebrow and Sango had a thin, narrow slice on her arm. Both were smiling, however, and this relieved everyone. Everyone, that is, except Inuyasha.

"It's not over...I can feel it..." He turned again to the patch of forest where the wolves had come from.

"And don't you dare try to keep me from fighting this time!" Inuyasha yelled.

Everyone flinched back, except for Kagome. Setting her jaw, she stepped forward.

"Hey, you baka! Do you WANT to get hurt? You know that it's best for you to avoid conflict when you're ningen! Why are you so stubborn?"

"I can't let him get the best of me, Kagome. He has to die, and die by my hands!"

At his words, about four times as many wolves than before flooded out of the woods. Inuyasha took a fighting stance, but again, no wolves were close enough to attack him.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha asked aloud...and he got an answer.

"I told them not to attack you, Inuyasha. In order to properly claim my mate, I must kill you myself."

Kouga had finally appeared, and the wolves parted, still fighting, to admit him. Looking around, Inuyasha realized that the wolves formed a kind of circle around himself and Kouga, directly around the perimeter of the clearing. He also noticed that for each wolf that was struck down, another appeared instantly to take its place.

Kouga traced Inuyasha's gaze. "Your friends will be of no help to you, half- breed. We'll settle this like men!"

Inuyasha laughed scornfully. "Do you think attacking me when you know I can't fight nearly as well as I normally can is 'manly', wolf? Personally, I think you're showing yourself to be quite a bitch inside."

Kouga glowered. "You take what fate gives you, dog-shit. Now, prepare yourself for death!"

Inuyasha and Kouga stood facing each other, about 20 feet apart. Each took a stance and readied themselves for the fight. Kagome, accidentally stepping on a faux kitsune, smelled the heated emotions floating from the center of the battlefield. Turning her head to look, Kagome gasped. "Inuyasha! DON'T!"

The fight began.

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Inuyasha was the first to attack. He leapt forward, his own well-being forgotten in the heat of battle. He swung the untransformed Tetsusaiga ahead of him like a bludgeon at Kouga's stomach...but of course, the wolf youkai had long since moved. Twisting in the air, Kouga aimed a vicious kick at the back of Inuyasha's head.

Inuyasha's human senses had not yet alerted him to the fact that Kouga had moved, but it became clear when he felt the youkai's leg connect with the back of his head. Inuyasha lost his footing and fell forward. Never had a fall been that lucky, because as he went down, he could barely make out the blur that was Kouga speeding inches above his head, claws swiping at the air where he had been only milliseconds before.

Kouga landed quite a few yards away, laughing maliciously. "Shame you couldn't put up more of a fight, Inuyasha!" he taunted. "Now your friends won't even remember you as being brave!"

Inuyasha slowly stood, clutching the back of his head. 'Dammit!' he thought. 'I'll never beat him like this! He's just too fucking FAST! I have to use that against him...but how?'

Inuyasha's thoughts were interrupted as Kouga initiated the next attack. This time, Inuyasha knew what to look for and dodged as he saw a blur form at his left side. He smirked for a split-second before a fist connected hard with his cheek, sending him flying to the far end of the clearing.

Kouga laughed again. "Did you really think you could see my movements? Foolish thing! All you could see was the space left in the air that I had just vacated! It's impossible for you to lay eyes on me, much less attack me!"

Inuyasha trembled slightly as he stood once more.

"I'll never let you defeat me! Even if I am human for the moment, I'm still powerful enough to defeat you!" With this, he attacked once more and was rewarded with another punch, this one catching him right on the forehead and stopping him in his tracks.

Inuyasha's whole body froze as his joints locked up, one by one, all refusing to fight for him if he was going to subject them to this sort of pain. Blood flowed from the place where Kouga's fist had connected and made its way into Inuyasha's eyes, tinting everything red. On the verge of passing out, Inuyasha made an effort to pull away, but it was quickly thwarted as Kouga grabbed hold of his face in one swift motion.

Kagome had frozen in the midst of the various battles going on around her. "Inuyasha!" she screamed in horror as she watched Kouga lift him from the ground, leaving his toes to just skim the grass.

She began to run forward until she caught sight of Inuyasha's eyes behind Kouga's hand. The violet orbs seemed to be begging her not to interfere. As she wavered in indecision, a voice called out her name.

It was Sango. While waiting for the return of her Hiraikotsu, a wolf had crept up behind her. Right before she could catch the weapon, it had thrown itself at her, knocking her to the ground. Her only line of defense was to grab it by the jaws and try to keep its fangs away from her face. Her katana was on her waist, too awkward to reach in such a situation, and the giant boomerang had landed on the ground too far away to be of any help.

"Kagome!" she choked again, straining against the wolf's weight.

Kagome sprang over to where her friend lay and clawed the wolf off with one hand. It rolled away and lay immobile. Sango sighed in relief while inspecting the cuts on her hands. Kagome winced, but they didn't have time for any kind of conversation as three more wolves headed their way. Taking one last look at Inuyasha, she rejoined the fight along the sidelines, praying for his life.

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"M-M-Master Sesshoumaru? Sh-shouldn't we just destroy the wolves? Th-they could l-lose!" The sniveling toad-like youkai squeaked as he struggled to climb the tree where the Inu-Youkai sat, watching the fray.

"Silence, Jaken. Do not meddle in things that you do not understand. The bitch will live, and that is all that I concern myself with."

"B-b-but if Inuyasha dies, she will h-have n-no motivation to-"

Sesshoumaru leapt down from his perch and halted in midair, face-to-face with Jaken.

"Shut up, underling. You are in no position to quarrel. If my halfling brother dies, it is of no concern to me anymore. Sesshoumaru said coldly.

"It would just deny me the pleasure of seeing his bitch do it for me. So for once, Jaken, hold your peace if you value what disgusting existence you maintain. I will lend no aid unless the bitch is endangered. Come to your senses and realize that this Sesshoumaru will take no suggestions from a lowly toad such as you."

With this, he closed his fist over Jaken's head, lifted him from the bark of the tree, and dropped him. He listened to the blubbering cries until the toad hit the ground and was quiet. Regaining his previous seat, he began to watch once more.

"Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru sighed and turned. "What do you want, Sakaru?"

"I have received word of where they are headed. They are on a straight course for the palace of Inazuma, where the antidote to the Siaku powder lies!"

The bird landed on his shoulder, then changed her mind and chose a branch instead.

"Hmmm. Most interesting. It would seem that they have more wits about them than I gave them credit for. Well then...you know what I wish for you to do."

Sakaru nodded, changing to her normal form and drawing a vial from her pocket. "This will mask my scent perfectly."

"Very well. If Inuyasha survives this fight, do what I have asked."

Sakaru nodded. She turned and leapt from the tree, turning into a bird once more just before hitting the ground. Lying at the base of the tree, she spotted an odd, green lump. She sighed.

"Imagine what he'd do to me if *I* asked too many questions..."

She took three huge loops around the battle scene before disappearing into the night.

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Inuyasha cried out in pain as Kouga's grasp tightened. Spots began to dance before his eyes and he knew that he had to do something. Commanding his incompliant joints to move, he swung Tetsusaiga straight upwards. Kouga wasn't expecting this particular move, being deep in gloating, and was forced to leap back as the sword sliced a deep gash in his arm.

"You bastard!" Kouga spat. "You actually cut me!" He raised his left arm to cover the wound on his right, and the hand came away saturated with his own blood.

"I don't believe it... I guess I'd better take you more seriously from now on, huh?" The youkai jumped forward and ripped at Inuyasha with his claws.

The fire-rat kimono offered some protection, but Inuyasha knew that there was no way that he'd be able to hold out until the sun rose again. He'd have to figure out some way to beat him as a ningen.

Kouga felt that his claws didn't have the desired effect, so he began to slice with even more effort at Inuyasha's body. Inuyasha screamed again when the blows hit him one by one, so quickly that he couldn't register where he'd been hit until after he collided with the ground. Despite the pain and the quivering of his weak body, he still rose to his feet again, blood dripping from one arm to pool on the ground. Rivulets of blood also poured from his mouth and nose. The wound on his head still supplied his eyes with obstructive blood flow that continued to blind him even more than the darkness. His breathing was unsteady and he could barely hold his head straight.

Inuyasha lifted his uninjured arm to try and wipe the redness from his eyes. When he returned his gaze to Kouga, the youkai was laughing once more. Despite the serious wound on his arm, he looked as healthy and cheerful as he had before the fight. 'Shit!' Inuyasha thought. 'What'll it take to beat this guy?' His hand tightened on his sword, and it was to his weapon that he shifted his attention. 'It'll have to be Tetsusaiga! Unlike when I'm hanyou, it's the only weapon that I have. However, if I just swing it, he'll dodge easily! My only chance is to lure him in close... but how will I do that without him hurting me too badly for me to strike?'

Inuyasha quickly tried to determine the remaining strength of his body. His left arm was useless... his chest and back felt as if someone were pushing him into a wall of sharp spikes... his head throbbed, making it hard to concentrate... and to top it all off, he was damn near blind! Clutching Tetsusaiga tightly in his right hand, he began to gather all of the strength that he could muster. He understood that if this next attack missed, he would lose his life.

'Keh,' he thought. 'It'll be worth it if I can see him die with me.' Turning his head slightly, Inuyasha blinked furiously, clearing his eyes just enough for him to see a Kagome-shaped red blur slap a few wolves around. He smiled. 'Kagome... I love you...'

Aloud, he yelled, "All right, you flea-bitten dimwitted asshole! Let's go! I'll never die and let you have her!"

Kouga did as he expected and ran forward to write the concluding chapter in Inuyasha's life. Inuyasha forced his suffering body into position. Any second now...it would end.

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**A/N:** Cliffhanger! But not for long, I'm planning on having chapter 8 up very soon. Review please!


	8. Stand Off Human Inuyasha VS Kouga part 3

**A/N:** Chapter 8 is up and I'm on a roll! Thank you have the reviews I really appreciate them. Now I'm putting in a few new characters, but I'm not spoiling the outcome. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters in the wonderful anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do however own the wonderful Sakaru and some other characters that you readers will meet in the near future.

**Chapter Eight: Stand Off, Human Inuyasha VS. Kouga Part Three**

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A girl ran through the forest, heaving herself over fallen branches and stones. Dried blood caked her body as she flew along at full speed, occasionally scratching her hand or face on a low-hanging branch. Once, she tripped, and the noises ahead of her became audible. She sighed in relief and lifted her body. She had to reach them! Had to!

As she burst into the clearing, she looked around at the bloody scene. She looked at the two males who were fighting in the center, then her eyes shifted to the perimeter of the clearing, where wolves were fighting various people...and where she was standing now! As she watched in terror, one lone wolf with a long scratch along its snout snarled and leapt at her. She opened her mouth and let loose with a piercing scream.

"Kya!"

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Kagome heard the wail of the girl and turned quickly in her direction. A wolf was attacking her! Without thinking, she bounded across the clearing and landed in front of her, swiping the wolf aside.

"Are you okay?" she asked, extending a hand to her. The girl nodded and took Kagome's hand, standing.

She was very pretty. Kagome guessed her to be about 11. Her eyes were a beautiful bluish-green and her long black hair just augmented this. Kagome wrinkled her nose, however, when she got a whiff of her. 'She smells of blood!' she thought, 'But... It's not her own! What happened to her?' Kagome quickly realized that now was not the time to concern herself with the problems of strange girls. More wolves had appeared and surrounded the pair. Surveying the area, Kagome decided to do a trademark move of Inuyasha's: as the wolves leapt to attack, she grabbed the girl around the waist and propelled them both into a tree as the canines collided in a whimpering mass below.

Putting the girl down in the branches, Kagome said, "Stay here. I have to go help my friends. I'll be back for you, I promise." She leapt from the tree and rejoined the action.

The girl just watched with wide eyes. She wasn't listening to a word Kagome had said. Her eyes were fixed on the battle between Kouga and Inuyasha.

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"Lord Inazuma! Lord Inazuma!" The panther youkai shouted, pushing through the masses of guards trying to hold him back.

"Lord Inazuma, I have heard that a group of strong adversaries is headed our way. Lord Inazuma, I heard that they are the ones who reduced Naraku into his current state!"

Inazuma glared down at the panther that had just fallen at his feet, quivering and shaking. "Okuo," he thundered, "Are you sure that these are the same ones?"

Okuo nodded feverishly, keeping his eyes rooted on the ground.

"Nevertheless, they can never get past the boundaries around my fortress-"

"Please, Lord Inazuma! The last that I heard, they were headed directly for the gap in the boundaries created by the attraction of your powers!" The panther shook even more violently now.

"WHAT?" he shouted, the walls shedding dust at the resonance of his voice.

"Gah!" Okuo squealed, curling his tail around himself and shutting his eyes tightly.

Inazuma stood and pointed to a scaly reptilian youkai that stood guard at the door.

"You there, Koijiu, gather the strongest among my army and place them at the rift! If they get past you, I ensure your death."

"Hai, Lord Inazuma!" Koijiu said, lacking all of the fear flowing from Okuo. He turned and left the room.

"I smell the stench of your fear, Okuo," Inazuma hissed, turning back to the groveling panther youkai.

"P-please M-" Okuo began, but was cut off when a large bolt of lightning fell from the hole in the ceiling to strike the pusillanimous coward to little more than a smudge on the floor.

"And that..." Inazuma said, turning to leave the room, "is for daring to cut me off when I was speaking..."

As Inazuma disappeared, an excited buzz went around the room.

"The group that was Naraku's undoing are set on coming here?"

"I'm aching for a good battle!"

"Yeah! I can't wait to get the best of them. We're not all slime like that fuzzball, Okuo!"

While the demons were discussing the approach of the enemy, one old woman spoke from a corner. "It's a shame that they'll all meet their end so quickly..."

The castle was flooded with life as it had never been before. New defenses were being put up, new youkai were arriving, and everyone was on edge and waiting. Sources said that the group was about a week away...that left just enough time to plan their deaths AND dig their graves...

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Kouga leapt at Inuyasha once more, and Inuyasha steeled himself for this final attack. The wolf youkai's claws came forward once again and dug themselves deep into Inuyasha's side. Inuyasha grunted in pain before shifting his right arm again. 'I have to...get into position...before-'

The pair hit the ground. Inuyasha was pinned under Kouga's weight. His mind kept wailing complaints at him: that it was tired...it wanted to rest... Inuyasha refused to listen. He had to see if it had worked...

Kouga lifted his head and stared at Inuyasha.

"H-how..." He groaned as he shifted and Inuyasha allowed himself a faint smile as he felt Kouga's lifeblood flowing onto his right hand. Tetsusaiga had gone clean through Kouga's heart and out of his back.

Inuyasha panted with pain as he explained. "When you... move too fast, you don't see as... as well as you normally do. You... only see what you are focused on, and I... could tell that you were focused on my... face. I put... the blade by my side and you, you idiot, were moving so f...fast that you didn't notice. When you... knocked me down, I loosened my grip, twisted it ...inward, and you ...impaled yourself, baka."

Inuyasha tried to laugh, but just succeeded in bringing more blood into his already flooded mouth.

Kouga stared for a moment, then spoke. "K-killed by a human, huh? D- damn..." His life ebbed away, and he slid even further down onto the sword.

Inuyasha shoved Kouga off with his right arm, causing a wave of agony to surge through his body. Ignoring it for the time being, he pulled Tetsusaiga free and used it to stand, leaning his full weight on it.

The battle on the edges of the field had ended at the same time that Kouga was killed. The wolves all turned to face the center of the field and their fallen master, and howled in unison. As one, they leapt away to the forest, still howling laments for Kouga.

"Inuyasha! You did it!" Kagome squealed, too far away to know what sort of shape he was in.

"Yay! Yay! Yay!" Five or six Shippous squealed, running around in circles.

Miroku's muscles relaxed. "Yes, I suppose the-" he stopped when Inuyasha wavered and fell to one knee.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, but before she could start toward him, the bitter, coppery smell of blood hit her hanyou nostrils and she gasped.

"He's hurt! Badly!" She said to the others.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome and the others, not really seeing them. The blood from his wound once again covered his eyes.

"K-Kagome..." he choked.

"I..."

Before he could finish the statement, the last of his strength escaped him and he fell face-first into a pool of his own blood and knew no more.

Kagome forced herself to ignore the smell of blood as it invaded her senses and tried to push her back.

"Inuyasha!" She cried again.

Kagome could feel the others following her, except Shippou, he was watching the scene with tears rapidly welling in his eyes, but at that moment in time, the only person that truly mattered was Inuyasha. She was determined not to lose him.

Finally reaching his unmoving body, she carefully flipped him onto his back and held him in her arms, getting her first look at the damage inflicted by Kouga. His face was heavily bruised and there was hardly a spot of skin untouched by blood. One of his arms looked to be severely injured and his side was stained very crimson. Those were just the wounds that she could make out with her eyes. She smelled far more gashes than she saw. Turning to the others, she addressed them, a note of command in her voice.

"Kirara! Over there, in a tree, there's a girl. Bring her down for me." Kirara mewed in comprehension and leapt into the sky.

Miroku and Sango exchanged quizzical glances. Kagome gave them no time to ask questions, however.

"Sango-chan, bring me my first aid kit from my pack. Miroku-sama, look around and find us somewhere to stay for the night. I'd prefer if no one's there, but we'll take what we can get."

"I know somewhere," a timid voice spoke up, halting Miroku and Sango in their tracks.

Kirara landed softly a few feet away and the girl slid from her back and focused her gaze directly on the ground.

"It's in my village, not too far from here."

Kagome looked at the girl, her expression softening as she once more took in her disheveled, bloody appearance. She couldn't imagine why she had thought she was so young at first. Now that she saw her at full height, and her face wasn't wracked with fear, she noted that she looked about a year younger than Kagome. Kagome addressed the girl.

"I'm sorry that we brought you into the midst of this, um-"

"Ishida Misa desu," the girl supplied.

"And you didn't bring me into it. I heard voices and I ran into you guys."

"Well, Misa-chan, we can discuss this later. Now, we need to tend to our friend. Can you lead us back to the village?"

"Hai."

"Arigatou."

Now that the problem of refuge was solved, they had only to worry about how to get Inuyasha there without increasing the severity of his injuries. Finally, Kagome decided that they would carry them there on the blanket that she'd brought for Sango to sleep under. She went to where her pack lay and pulled out the large quilt, slinging the pack over her shoulder. When she reached the group again, she picked up Tetsusaiga, gently removed its sheath from Inuyasha's body, sheathed it, and put it in her belt with her own sword. Then, gingerly, they lifted Inuyasha just enough to slip the blanket under him. Once Misa had pointed out the direction of her village, Miroku grabbed one side of the blanket while Kagome grabbed the other. After receiving hurried instructions from Misa, Sango snatched up the wailing kitsune and mounted Kirara, taking off in the direction that the girl had indicated. This left the others to follow the girl who had appeared out of nowhere.

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'Inuyasha.'

Someone was calling him. Quickly, he whirled around, trying to see who it was that was trying to get his attention.

'Inuyasha...'

Finally, his eyes locked on a dark shape in the mist that surrounded him. 'Kikyou?' he whispered. The wind picked up, blowing his hair wildly and clearing the air, allowing him to see her form more clearly.

"What are you-" He was cut off as an arrow pierced his side, the pain bringing him to his knees. "N-no..." he hissed. "N-not again!"

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Kagome's sensitive ears picked up the faint gasp in Inuyasha's breathing. She stopped, and Misa and Miroku followed suit. She stared at Inuyasha's face. He was now sweating profusely and his breath rattled with each inhalation. His skin was uncomfortably pale.

Kagome raised her face to the others. "He's getting worse. We have to hurry!" The small group took off again at a slightly faster pace, careful not to jar the makeshift stretcher that held Inuyasha.

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"There it is, Kirara! Land there!" Sango called, pointing to a small house on the outskirts of a village that was obscured in trees.

Kirara growled softly and descended.

Once they were on the ground, Sango knocked on the door and called out, "Is anyone there? I need help!"

Just when she began to think that the house was empty and prepared to enter by force, the door opened just a crack and an eye that was the exact hue of Misa's peered out.

"What is it? Why can't you just leave me in peace?" The woman's voice sounded young, but it also told of sorrow and grief that made her seem very old.

"Please, you must help me! My friend has been badly hurt and Misa told us that we could find help here-"

The door flew open quickly and the woman stepped over the threshold, putting her hands on Sango's shoulders.

"Misa? Is she- is my baby alive?"

Sango nodded and the woman burst into tears and dropped her arms.

"Oh, my child! If only I had known! I would have been searching for her hours ago!"

Sango gave the woman a comforting pat on the back. "Please, tell me what happened."

Mrs. Ishida faltered for a second before beginning. "Misa and her father went to fetch some water while I was cooking. A few minutes later, I heard that wolves were attacking the village. "They..."

She wiped her streaming eyes on her apron. "They killed my husband."

"Oh!" Sango raised a trembling hand to her mouth.

The woman continued. "They brought his body to me, but informed me that they couldn't find Misa. I just assumed that she had died too...It never occurred to me that she would have survived!"

Sango nodded. "Well, she should be here in a few minutes. Please, tell me, do you have somewhere where we can stay until we nurse our friend back to health?"

Mrs. Ishida looked at her. "Was your friend attacked by the wolves as well?"

Sango thought for a second. "Er...well, I guess you could say that, hai."

"Follow me. I have a spare room that could be of some use. It's not much, but it should serve the purpose."

The woman turned to enter the house and Sango began to follow, until she remembered that she'd left Shippou and Kirara in the trees a few yards away.

"Ishida-san?" Sango said before calling to them.

They emerged from the bushes, Kirara in her smaller form and Shippou wiping his eyes.

"Please don't be alarmed, but these two are youkai that ha-" She stopped and sweatdropped when Mrs. Ishida leapt forward and hugged them both, petting them and cooing about how cute they were.

When Sango was finally able to pull her loose, the whole gang entered the house and Sango began to prepare the room for the others' arrival.

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"Misa-chan? Why do you smell of blood that is not your own?" Kagome asked the girl who led their little 'procession'.

Misa's face clouded as she turned to face Kagome.

"I went to gather water with my Otou-san when wolves attacked us. He shielded me with his own body, at the price of his life."

Her eyes filled with tears. "I fainted during the attack, and when I came to, I heard the sounds of your fighting. I figured that some villagers were chasing the wolves away, so I ran towards you, hoping that I'd be safe among warriors. I'm sorry for any interference that I may have caused."

Kagome felt deep sympathy for the girl. "I regret that we were not there to help. I know what it feels like to lose your father."

Misa turned back and gave Kagome a smile. Turning back to face the front, a building loomed into view in the distance.

"We're here!" She squealed, racing forward and knocking on the door.

A woman answered and for the longest time, the two just looked at each other in silence. Then, Misa spoke. "O...okaa-san?"

"Misa!"

Mrs. Ishida folded the girl into a tight embrace, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, my daughter, I thought I had lost you for sure! How did you ever survive the attack? Wh-"

She stopped her joyous ranting as Kagome and Miroku stepped into view, carrying Inuyasha between them on the blanket that was heavily stained with his blood. She caught her breath and pressed a hand to her heart. Quickly, she turned and led everyone to the guest room.

When they arrived, Sango was sitting in the middle of the room. She had done the best she could to prepare, and it was obvious. A futon sat at the far end of the room, placed slightly away from the wall, to admit a person on both sides. Mounds of clean cloths and towels littered the room, and two large bowls of hot water sat directly beside the futon.

"Thanks, Sango," Kagome said as she and Miroku worked their way to the other side of the room and cautiously maneuvered Inuyasha onto the futon.

"Help me out here, Miroku," She said, and the two carefully removed Inyasha's haori and underkimono. Turning around, and giving a glance to the other females who did the same, Kagome told Miroku to finish removing the clothing.

He nodded and removed the hakama and covered Inuyasha with a towel to preserve his decency. When he was done, Kagome turned around once more and surveyed the damage. There didn't seem to be one inch of skin that wasn't bruised, scratched, or streaked with blood.

Kagome dipped a cloth in the water and wrung it out, beginning to clean the blood off of Inuyasha's face. Without needing to be told, Sango dampened another cloth and began to clean his chest wounds, avoiding the injury in his side. She didn't know what to do with that one, so she decided that she'd better just leave it to Kagome.

Miroku stood at the other side of the room and gazed out of the window, speculating. It was still very dark, telling him that several hours still remained until sunrise. He knew that if they could just keep Inuyasha alive until then, chances were that the renewed flow of his youkai blood would heal him and preserve his life. He looked back at where the girls were tending him. It would take everyone working together to save their friend.

When Kagome finished cleaning Inuyasha's face, she reached for the disinfectant and bandages. Slowly and gingerly wrapping his head wound, she prayed for what seemed like the thousandth time that night.

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**A/N:** chapter 8 is done! Kouga is dead, because I feel he is too annoying in this story. So tell what you think or needs to be brought to my attention, and I will see what I can do. Oh and Please feed the orphan review button, he has been starving for a long time. Haha, seriously though, I want to hear want you dear readers think.


	9. New Encounters and New Abilities

**A/N:** I'm back with chapter 9! I know you guys are waiting eagerly for it so here it is. I thank you for you reviews and hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters involved with the anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do however own Sakaru the shapeshifter.

**Chapter Nine: New Encounters, and New Abilities**

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"Ki...kyou...d-don't..." Inuyasha gasped, placing his hand firmly on the wound created in his side by the arrow.

"Foolish thing," Kikyou hissed, readying herself for another attack.

This phrase reminded him of someone, but who? He had no time to contemplate as another arrow was sent into his arm, causing him to cry out.

His body was beginning to get weak from blood loss. He wanted to kill whatever was hurting him, but deep inside, he knew that he couldn't do it. He had sworn to protect Kikyou, and no way was he breaking his promise...

The undead miko read the weakness on his face and lunged forward, grabbing on to his neck with her right hand, her palm glowing with power. She tightened her grasp, causing Inuyasha to choke and grab feebly at her arm.

"Die, Inuyasha!" Kikyou cried, sending forth a blast that seared the skin on his neck.

Inuyasha cried out with what little strength he had left. Again, he thought of killing her, but even if his body had the strength, he didn't think his heart had the strength to do it. Finally giving in, he surrendered to the blackness that had engulfed his vision.

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Kagome had just tied off the last bandage on Inuyasha's ankle. She sighed in relief, pulled the blanket of the futon up to his chin, and turned to observe the room. It was empty save for herself, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara. Miroku, after heating endless amounts of water and doing various tasks, had taken up watch outside of the house, his staff leaning on the wall beside him. Misa and her mother had migrated into another part of the house, either sleeping or conversing. Shippou had curled up and fallen asleep with Kirara in one corner of the room. Kagome's gaze shifted to Sango, whose eyes were very red with lack of sleep.

"Go to bed, Sango," She began.

"I'll-" Kagome stopped as Inuyasha drew a harsh, rasping breath and all of his muscles seized up, sending a shudder through his body.

His eyes were moving very rapidly under his eyelids. The two girls shared a fearful look before Inuyasha released the air from his lungs, his muscles falling limp again. There was a tense silence before Kagome realized why it WAS so silent...she hadn't heard him draw another breath!

"Inuyasha!" She shrieked.

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Floating was nice. Inuyasha had never gotten the chance to fully enjoy something. There was always something else that cast an ominous cloud over whatever he wanted to do. But now, there was only the good things...like floating.

But wait! Something was nagging at the back of his brain. Someone was yelling his name!

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha scoffed. 'You win, Kikyou,' he muttered, just before realizing that this person wasn't Kikyou at all. But who?

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Kagome summed up all of her courage and clamped her mouth down firmly over Inuyasha's, exhaling slowly and feeling his chest rise as air filled his lungs. She pulled back for a second, watching his chest lower again as that same air escaped.

"Inuyasha, please!" she whimpered again before pushing another breath into his body.

Sango watched with horror etched deeply into her face. 'Kami-sama, let this work!' she thought, her hands clasped over her chest.

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"Inuyasha, please!"

Please what? What the hell was this girl talking about? And why the hell wouldn't she just let him float in peace? Getting annoyed, he started to ignore her until he felt a foreign pressure against his lips. He felt her breathe for him, and he paused in his ramblings.

What the hell was going on here?

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Sango crossed to the other side of the futon and slipped an arm around Kagome's shoulders.

"He isn't..."

Kagome's eyes flooded and overflowed as she shook her head before throwing Sango's arm off and diving once again to supply more breath into Inuyasha's body. Her tears fell onto Inuyasha's face as she exhaled.

Still, no change had occurred. "Inuyasha, please! Come back to me!"

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Inuyasha felt another wave of air flood into him. And there was wetness on his face...why was there...tears? Who in the hell was this person? Nobody gave a shit if he died, anyway. But then...

"Inuyasha, please! Come back to me!"

In a flash, he understood. 'I'm...dying!' He felt the air rush out of his lungs again and he felt light-headed, dizzy. But still, he tried to hold on to the truth. 'So the girl...'

Suddenly everything clicked, and the ideas in his muddled brain organized themselves and came into focus. Memories came flooding back, but there was only one that he held on to, one that he used to pull himself free from Death's grasp.

"Kagome..."

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Kagome was sobbing uncontrollably into Sango's shoulder, waking Shippou in the process. The kitsune began to bawl as well, not knowing the reason, but feeling the air of sadness that pervaded the room. Then..

"Kagome..." A faint whisper escaped the lips of the person who Kagome had presumed dead.

"Inuyasha!" She sighed in relief.

She wished that she could throw herself at him and hug him, but she understood that would be crazy, considering his injuries. Instead, she leaned into his line of vision and saw that his eyes were slightly open.

"Kagome..." He murmured again.

He raised his good arm and weakly brushed away the tears that still streamed down her face.

"Why are you crying?"

Kagome couldn't help but smile. 'A hint of deja vu, was slowly filling her thoughts.

"No reason, you baka, no reason at all."

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Kagome had tried to stay awake all night, but in the end, this proved impossible. She was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. Finally, she settled for a place near Inuyasha, where she thought that she could keep him safe from any threats. It was there that she still slept when dawn came, flooding light through the windows.

Inuyasha opened his golden eyes. He blinked a few times before focusing on a shape near him that he recognized to be Kagome. Her long, glowing hair, shimmering with its white strands, pooled around her. Her breathing was strong and regular, and her mouth was slightly open. He smiled...and then realized that he was completely naked under the blanket!

He sat up, which he instantly regretted, because it sent a jolt of pain through his left arm, his side, and his head. The wounds were rapidly healing, true, but it would be a while before he had his full strength back. He finally spotted his clothing in a corner and wrapped the blanket around himself, moving quietly so he wouldn't wake Kagome, Sango, or either of the youkai.

When he reached his clothes, he wrinkled his nose as the smell of blood hit him. Had he been hurt that badly? Nevertheless, he gathered up the clothes, then searched the floor until he found a clean towel. Discarding the blanket and wrapping the towel about himself instead, he silently left the house, sniffed the air, and took off toward the lake that he'd caught a whiff of.

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Back in the house, Kagome yawned and opened her eyes. She looked down at Inuyasha, who wasn't there! She momentarily panicked before she used her brain and raised her head to smell for him. One sniff told her what she needed to know and she took off after him.

When she reached the lake, she saw Inuyasha, dripping wet, sitting on a perch in a high tree, staring off into the distance. She made as much noise as she could while approaching, trying not to startle him, but when she called his name, he still jumped.

"Inuyasha?" She called.

"You really should be resting, you're not well enough to move around so much yet!"

Instead of picking up the argument, he merely said, "Kagome, come up here."

Kagome frowned, but sprang up to the branch anyway. "What?"

"I..." He swallowed hard, as if something was in his throat. "I just want to...you know...thank you. For taking care of me and stuff." He refused to meet her eyes.

Kagome stared. "You're thanking me? ME? Are you sure that you don't want to threaten me or something?"

Inuyasha ignored this, and instead beckoned Kagome closer. When she moved, he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. Kagome flinched, expecting for him to feel wet and cold...but he didn't. In fact, he was very warm. Kagome relaxed into the embrace, and began to purr.

Inuyasha smiled, moving his face down to hers.

"Happy much?" He asked teasing as Kagome looked up at him.

She gasped as she finally noticed how close his face was to hers. Inuyasha took that opportunity to take her lips with his own. Kagome instantly melted in the kiss as Inuyasha probed his tongue into her mouth and began to fondle her tongue with his. Kagome let out a low moan, as Inuyasha hands began to descend downward and rested neatly on her breasts. He began to carcass them, as Kagome's body seemed to shiver with pleasure.

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Sango awoke to find the room empty except for Shippou and Kirara.

"Where have those two disappeared to?" She asked herself, and was halfway out of the house before she felt someone grab her arm.

It was Miroku.

"I think we should let them be for now," He said, a subliminal message hiding in his words.

Sango stared out of the door for a minute longer before turning to face the monk.

"Yes, I suppose you're right, Houshi-sama."

As she turned to go back into the guest room, she sensed something that felt suspiciously like a hand on her butt...

Everyone in the house awoke to the sounds of Sango chasing Miroku and beating him upside the head with a broom handle while shouting, "Why the hell do you always do that, you idiotic hentai! monk, do you have any respect? I should KILL YOU!"

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Sango was fuming. Miroku was out cold. Shippou was dancing around wildly. Kirara was being cute. Inuyasha was being stubborn while Kagome was checking his injuries.

Yep. Everything was pretty much back to normal within the group. However, now that the moment of crisis had passed, they had a lot of explaining to do. Kagome turned to Mrs. Ishida, who was sitting across from her, never taking her gaze from Kagome's ears. She sighed, then realized that she'd never even introduced everybody!

"Ishida-san, we thank you for your hospitality," She began.

"We haven't even bothered to introduce ourselves. I'm Kagome, the baka over there is Inuyasha, she's Sango, the comatose one is Miroku, and they're-"

"Kirara and Shippou. I know those two." A smile finally spread across her face as she petted the neko-youkai. "However, now that I know who you are, I'd like to know what you are."

Kagome drew a deep breath. "Well...Miroku's a houshi, Sango's a taijiya, and Inuyasha and I are...half-Inu-youkai."

"I see," was the woman's only answer as she continued to stroke Kirara.

"And what brings you all here? I can tell that you come from quite far away."

Kagome nodded, then explained the situation to Mrs. Ishida, who remained silent throughout. When Kagome finished, the woman opened her mouth to finally talk when a partition between the two rooms burst open and Misa entered, a fist raised in front of her in a brave stance.

"I want to go with you guys!" She shouted heroically. Everyone stared with wide eyes, then sweatdropped.

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha sneered.

"A weak thing like you could only get in the way!"

Misa ran over and punched Inuyasha in the head, fuming. The hanyou tottered for a bit before falling to the ground. Misa flinched.

"Whoops, forgot about that head wound...gomen!"

Miroku, meanwhile, had regained his wits and pulled himself to his feet.

"As idiotic as Inuyasha can be, I'd have to say that he's right. You'd be putting your life in a lot of danger."

"Aw, come on! I'm old enough to fend for myself! I'm sixteen after all!"

Kagome stared. 'So she is a year young than me,' she thought.

"I could help! I know the Northern Lands better than anybody!"

Inuyasha scoffed, having recovered. "Keh. Yeah right. What would a human know about an area so full of youkai?"

Mrs. Ishida spoke in a low voice. "She's not lying. For a short while, we were forced to live in Lord Inazuma's castle, as slaves. Then, several years back, Lord Inazuma was attacked and defeated. We managed to get away. It was just three years ago that we learned that he still lived, and he put up all of the boundaries around his palace. It is said that he has become a recluse, and never leaves the castle for any reason. While we lived there, most of his secrets became known to us, and when Misa was young, she was very adventurous. She knows parts of the castle that even Lord Inazuma doesn't."

Everyone let that sink in for a moment. Then-

"Please let me come! I'm desperate to get away from this place!"

Misa took a deep breath. "Too many bad memories. Please! If you don't, I'd just follow you anyway!"

Kagome turned to Inuyasha. He still looked unconvinced, but as he met her gaze, he turned to the door and started to walk out.

"Whatever. But she's not slowing me down."

Misa squealed with delight and began to dance with Shippou while silent tears coursed down her mother's face.

"Misa, you know that I really wish you would stay here," she began, while her daughter's face fell. "But...if you feel that it's something that you have to do, then you have my permission."

Misa began to celebrate once more. Sango, Miroku, and Kagome watched her, slight grins on their faces. Finally, they felt like they really had a plan.

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Sesshoumaru found the girl's body while flying back to his castle. He landed beside her and studied her. Her body was covered in wolf bites and scratches and her face was still contorted in terror. The youkai felt a pang when he looked into her unseeing eyes and he realized that she reminded him of Rin, who had also been killed by wolves before. He sighed, knowing that he was going to catch hell for this, then lifted her body and took off once more for his home.

When he reached his destination, he kicked Jaken out of the way, who was asking questions that he didn't really want to answer at the moment. He carried the girl to an empty room and laid her on the bed, wondering why the hell he'd brought her there. A second later, a tentative voice called from the door.

"Sesshoumaru-sama? Rin heard that Sesshoumaru-sama brought someone here.

Is she going to be a playmate for Rin?"

Sesshoumaru moved quickly to shield the dead girl from view. He didn't want Rin to see something like this. As he contemplated his situation, he felt Tenseiga give a slight pulse.

Almost mechanically, he withdrew the sword from its sheath and looked at it. It gave another pulse and glowed a bluish color. He looked again at the dead girl, then made up his mind. Swiping the sword very quickly, he delivered two strokes to the girl's body and resheathed Tenseiga. Mentally cursing himself, he swept past Rin and out of the door, thinking, 'What the hell is going on? Why am I saving humans? I refuse to believe that I'm anything like my disgusting brother or my shameful father!' Sesshoumaru kicked Jaken, who had followed him inside, once more as he ascended the stairs and entered his parlor to think.

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Rin's eyes widened as the girl sat up, rubbing her forehead. "Hi! My name is Rin. What's your name?"

The girl turned to Rin, a puzzled look on her face. "I...I don't know."

Rin frowned for a second, then her face brightened once more.

"Rin will call you Yuriko, because Rin always wanted to have a friend named that!"

The girl nodded. "Okay... Rin-chan, where am I?"

"You are in the palace of Sesshoumaru-sama, Lord of the Western Lands. Rin doesn't know exactly what that means, but Rin knows that it's important, and Sesshoumaru-sama wants Rin to say that."

Yuriko nodded again, then grimaced. "I'm hungry."

Rin smiled mischievously. "Come on, Yuriko-chan! Rin knows how to bully Jaken into getting food!"

Rin grabbed her hand and pulled the older girl from the bed and into the hall, calling for the poor, maltreated toad.

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Sesshoumaru had removed the Tenseiga and set it on a desk, looking at it angrily.

"Why do you possess me to do such things?" he hissed.

"I am a great Lord, and yet you force me to save human life? Why?"

Abruptly, Sesshoumaru stood and walked toward the door, having had a calming thought. 'If I just kill the girl again and dump her where I found her, no one will be the wiser and I will maintain my reputation.' He returned to the room where he'd left her only to find it empty. Regardless, he detected her scent on the air, as well as...Rin's? An exasperated snarl escaped his lips as he hurried in the direction that he sensed that the two girls had gone. His face softened as he saw Rin and the girl sitting in the dining room, laughing about something.

"Rin."

Rin turned her head and her smile grew even wider as she saw the youkai standing there.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Yuriko was hungry so Rin brought her here and made Jaken give her something to eat. Rin is sorry that she didn't ask Sesshoumaru-sama first, but Rin wanted to entertain her guest. Yuriko is Rin's friend now!"

Sesshoumaru turned his eyes to the girl who sat staring at him. Her wonderfully hued eyes were widened in fear. Sesshoumaru sighed and turned to leave. He knew that there was no way that he could kill the girl if Rin had made a friend of her. He refused to cause her grief.

Once outside of the dining room, he peeled Jaken off of the wall, Rin can be very persuasive if need be, and held him to eye level.

"Jaken. Get the castle tailors to start working on some new kimonos for this 'Yuriko'. I won't have someone who looks so dingy prancing around my castle."

"Y-y-yes, Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken replied.

Dropping the toad, who scuttled off, Sesshoumaru looked back once more at the two happy girls. 'As much as Rin likes her, she can't stay here. If word gets out about this, I may have to kill quite a few big-mouthed youkai...' He swept off again, leaving the girls to their conversation.

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Misa took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Mmm! I just love fresh air, don't you guys?"

Kagome nodded, then studied the girl more closely. After learning that she was permitted to accompany them on their trip, she had changed into an outfit that resembled Sango's. However, the sleeves on her top were much shorter and her clothing was blue. On her back, two thick chains were tethered, but they didn't seem to bother her because she was walking normally.

The group had finally left the Ishida household. Inuyasha's wounds had healed up to the point where he could defend himself in a matter of hours. Now, they were trekking through the woods, bound once more for the Northern Lands.

Inuyasha was walking very quickly, presumably trying to show Misa that she was too weak and should probably turn back. He failed, however, because the girl just continued her excited chatter.

"I just love your ears, Kagome-chan. Inuyasha's are cute too, but I think black is a lot more sophisticated than white."

"Feh," muttered Inuyasha as he crossed his arms and walked even faster. He wanted to get away from the group so that he could be alone with his thoughts. 'How can I tell Kagome that she's the only thing I thought of when I was dying? How can I tell her that... that I love her?' His thoughts were abruptly cut short when Kagome cried out the last thing that Inuyasha wanted to hear...

"SIT BOY!"

When he hit the ground, he immediately shouted a long stream of curses, but stopped as two huge spikes flew just over his head to impale the ground. Raising his gaze, he saw a large youkai that looked like a giant blowfish with arms and legs. Its head resembled a dragon's and spines protruded from all over his body.

"Inuyasha! It has two shards!" Kagome shouted, leaping forward to stand beside him.

As they looked on, the youkai puffed itself up again and sent another spray of spikes their way. Inuyasha managed to block most of them with Tetsusaiga, but one still escaped his strike and headed toward Misa.

"Misa!" Sango gasped, but there was no need to worry.

In a flash, the girl had pulled one of the chains off of her back and whipped the spike out of the way effortlessly. Everyone stared on in awe, while Misa drew the other chain off of her back.

"Come and get it, ugly!" She snarled, jumping forward.

The youkai sent yet another spray of spikes her way, but she managed to dodge them as she raced forward, lashing out with her chains and making large welts in the demon's flesh. She was also helped by Miroku, who continuously used his kazaana to draw away most of the spikes. Kagome could tell that the girl was experienced, however, she could also tell that the blows were doing hardly any damage. It was only a matter of time before a spike came out of nowhere, too quickly for Misa to block it.

For the first time ever, Kagome's hand flew to the hilt of her sword. She withdrew it and leapt toward the youkai, swinging it in a solid arc that yielded a crescent of greenish light. Without stopping to see the damage that she had done, she grabbed Misa and transported her to safety. Once she was satisfied that the other girl was safe, she turned once more to face the youkai and the others. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Kagome, or rather, her sword. Raising her eyes to it, she let out a startled gasp.

The sword had appeared, at first, to be a traditional katana. Now, however, it very closely resembled the Tetsusaiga, except it was more slender and slightly shorter. 'Whoa! Freaky!' Kagome thought. She had no more time to admire her weapon, though, because the youkai swung its powerful tail into her body, pinning her to a tree and causing a pained shriek to burst from her mouth.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, snapping from the trance that held the others.

He raced forward, dodging several spikes along the way, and leapt toward the youkai's tail, using Tetsusaiga to sever it completely. This gave Kagome a perfect chance to survey what she'd done to it herself.

The place where Kagome had swept her sword looked eaten away, as if her attack had contained acid. 'It probably did,' she couldn't help but think. 'Wow, that was some serious power!'

"Where are the shards, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, pulling her from her reflections.

"Oh, yeah!" She focused her gaze on the youkai and for a while, nothing happened. She'd been finding it harder and harder to sense the shards lately.

Finally, she spotted a faint glimmer just under where she'd attacked. "They're in his stomach!"

Inuyasha nodded. "Sango, Miroku-!"

Sango leapt into the air, swinging her Hiraikotsu over her head and letting fly directly at the youkai's face. When it attacked, Miroku once more drew the spikes away, leaving Inuyasha's path clear. While its head was turned toward the pair, Inuyasha darted forward and sank Tetsusaiga deep into the flesh of its abdomen. With a sharp sideways swipe, the youkai separated into two halves and the jewel shards fell to the ground with two soft pings.

Throughout this battle, Misa had been watching in astonishment. 'They all work together, like a team...or like a family.'

Kagome stepped forward and lifted the shards of 'Shikon no Tama' from the ground, purifying them and slipping them into the pouch on her waist. She turned back to the group and saw a very angry hanyou approaching Misa.

"What the hell is wrong with you, bitch? Jumping in there all alone like you're going to beat it all by yourself! Yeah, right. You may know the basics of self-defense, but you're nothing but a child!" Inuyasha roared, causing Misa to flinch back and bite her lip.

Kagome opened her mouth to subdue him, but was stopped by Miroku's hand on her shoulder.

"Don't, Kagome-san. As harsh as Inuyasha's teaching methods can be, this is something that she needs to hear." Kagome nodded reluctantly and lowered her eyes.

Inuyasha was still ranting. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but we brought you along to help us infiltrate the castle, not to get your stupid ass killed! Remember that, you stupid wench! As long as you're traveling with us, remember that we all look out for each other!"

Having finished his speech, he stormed away from the group without looking back.

Sango and Kagome walked toward Misa, who was still trembling slightly. "Misa-chan?" Sango began. "You do understand that it was foolish to attack the youkai by yourself, ne?"

"Hai," the girl responded. "But did he have to be so harsh about it?"

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha's retreating back and couldn't repress a knowing smile.

"That's his way of showing that he was worried. Don't worry too much about it."

Misa nodded and stood, coiling the chains and lashing them to her back swiftly.

"Well, let's get going! We have a deadline, after all!" She set a quick pace, following Inuyasha.

The others resumed travel as well, and soon the entire incident was forgotten...at least by everyone but Misa, who was still marveling at the extreme level of friendship within the group.

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I kind of left a steamy kiss to you dear readers imagination. Aren't I evil? Anyways please don't forget to feed the review button.


	10. Castles and Rejuventing Demons

**A/N:** I'm back! Man the thanksgiving break had taken alot out of me. I'm helping a friend of mine pack up her house, so naturally there was no time to write. But now I can, so expect more updates.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, or anything related to the wonderful anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do own some characters that you will soon see pop up in this story, but I'm not spoiling it. So enjoy and please tell me what you think.

**Chapter Ten: Castles, and Rejuvenating Demons **

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After five days of trekking through the woods, the group finally reached a place that Misa said that she remembered as part of the Northern Lands. Looking up at the sun, she adjusted their direction slightly and they resumed walking, the girl leading them through a vast field. Just as Inuyasha began to think that this stupid girl was leading them astray on purpose, something swam into view in the distance.

At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than woodland. If examined a little closer, however, one could see the purplish cloud that engulfed the trees everywhere except for a wedge-shaped section that was directly in front of them all. This wedge was widest at its outermost point, and as it reached inward, it tapered off into a section just as wide as the entrance to the castle.

Misa sighed and rubbed her hands together. "We're here."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "No shit."

Misa glowered. "Listen, you uptight white-haired moron, do you want my help or not? I could just let you wander in there alone and get yourself killed!"

Kagome focused on the screaming pair. They really didn't get along at all. Since they'd been traveling, they had gotten into heated arguments at least five times a day. Kagome figured it was because both had the same haughty, arrogant attitude.

Once the quarrel was over, helped to an end by Miroku, who whapped Inuyasha soundly over the head with his staff, everyone began to approach the area of trees that was unaffected by the toxic gases. Right before they entered the trees, Misa made it a point to warn the others.

"It's very possible that Inazuma knew where we were headed when we first left my house. Stay on your guard, everybody, because I'd be very surprised if he doesn't know we're here."

Everyone nodded to show that they understood, and the gang finally entered the forest, keeping their eyes peeled for anything ominous.

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Koijiu entered the main room of the castle, looking very pleased with himself.

"Lord Inazuma, the outsiders have entered the forest. Do you wish for us to move out?"

Inazuma glanced around the room at the army of youkai soldiers before him before speaking.

"Yes. Take the first wave of troops to the outsiders' present location. Keep the second back at the bank of our lake. The third should remain very near the castle. Need I remind you what should happen if you should fail?"

Koijiu showed fear for the first time, but it was fleeting. "No, Lord Inazuma." To the soldiers, he said, "You heard him. Get going!"

At his word, the youkai flooded out of the room and took their posts, each silently promising that there was no way that the intruders could get by them...no way at all...

Meanwhile, Inazuma himself didn't share the same carefree thoughts. Instead, he allowed himself to worry just a small bit. If these people had defeated Naraku...

***Flashback***

"Inazuma, your reign stops here!" Naraku hissed, throwing himself at the Taiyoukai. Inazuma effortlessly sidestepped the attack and aimed a bolt of lightning at Naraku, who also successfully dodged. The two stood facing each other, each panting slightly. They had been fighting for quite a while now, but neither showed a sign of giving up. It appeared that they were almost evenly matched. Just then, Naraku had a brilliant idea...but it would cost him dearly...

Leaping forward, Naraku hissed a short incantation and shivered as his body was enveloped in a cold, violet light.

"What is this?" Inazuma asked, mostly to himself. He stopped wondering as Naraku reached him, placed a hand on Inazuma's chest and- passed directly through him! Inazuma shivered as the icy aura entered his body. Whirling to face Naraku, he realized that all that lay in front of him was Naraku's baboon pelt. 'But then,' he thought, 'Where is Naraku?'

He soon got his answer as a alien voice spoke in his head. 'I am inside of you, foolish one. And soon, I will release the power of my charm and you will be no more. I, of course, will have to search for a new body, but all is well as long as you...'

Inazuma felt a searing pain start in his heart and spread to each of his extremities. He bellowed a protest of pain and rage, but there was no way to fight something that was inside his body. Weakening, the great lord fell to his knees, clutching his chest.

Naraku spoke once again, his voice telling of the pain that he was feeling from the exertion of using this certain spell. 'Die, vermin!'

Inazuma suddenly understood. 'Kamikaze,' he mentally whispered.

Naraku barked a cold laugh. 'Hai, but I doubt if I will die in the process...unlike YOU!' Again, the pain overwhelmed Inazuma and he howled, watching as the purplish light began to seep through his skin like a fine mist. Then, in an instant, a silent explosion washed over the castle, vaporizing all signs of life that were too near...and disintegrating the bodies of Inazuma and Naraku.

***End Flashback***

Inazuma shivered violently, again remembering that day. 'He was ruthless, willing to sacrifice his own body to destroy me. But now that I have my new body, I doubt that even he will be able to defeat me!' With this thought, Inazuma lifted his fist and rose from his throne. He finally stepped out of the shadows, allowing the casual observer to finally witness his true form. He sort of resembled a bull, having the creature's head and legs, but that is where the similarities ended. His arms and torso were human, giving him the look of a centaur. The tail that arced behind him was that of a scorpion, loaded with venom. His entire body was plated with an armor that resembled reptile scales. All in all, he was a frightening beast that was more than capable of cold-hearted murder. Looking to the sky, the source of his power, he thought, 'If I defeat these intruders, no one will ever question that I am the most powerful! My ruin will lay forgotten in the blood of those meddlers! I will regain the level of renown that I lost when Naraku bested me!' Bellowing a laugh to the heavens, he avidly awaited the arrival of the interfering outsiders.

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"Hmm, I'm surprised that we haven't met anyone yet," Misa said thoughtfully.

Inuyasha and Kagome were leading the pack. Misa followed, with Sango, Miroku, and Kirara, carrying Shippou, bringing up the rear.

"When we lived here, Inazuma would always dispatch soldiers to-"

She cut off as Inuyasha drew his sword. A second later, Kagome followed suit. A second after THAT, a mob of youkai poured out of the trees on all sides, shrieking curses and death threats. Above the din, a voice could be discerned as it spoke one word:

"Attack!"

It turned out to be an unusually uneventful battle. The youkai were obviously low-level, because they were easily brought down. Sango's Hiraikotsu was powerful enough to put most of them out of commission. Inuyasha and Kagome seemed to be everywhere at once, slashing demons with their swords. Both fought with vigor, but Kagome found herself unable to produce the acidic wave that she had displayed earlier. Shippou could even distract a few of them with his kitsune-bi, setting their garments afire and causing them to race around in circles, colliding with each other and falling down in tangled heaps. Kirara scratched and bit, as she had with the wolves, and she found the fight very simple. Usually, only one demon attacked at a time, making them very easy to pick off. There was a brief moment of panic when a swarm of bat youkai made their way out of the forest to distract the group, but they proved no match for Miroku's kazaana. Misa had once again drawn her chains. She used them to swing herself through the trees before dropping onto an unsuspecting youkai and beating him senseless. In a very short time, the battle was over.

Misa dropped from a tree and scanned the battlefield.

"That was really easy! If this whole trip is going to be like that, it'll be no problem at all!"

Inuyasha put Tetsusaiga away and folded his arms.

"Keh. Too easy, if you ask me. It's like they want us to get there."

"Well then, why send all of these youkai to be killed for no reason?" Kagome asked, resheathing her sword as well and tossing her hair over her shoulder, irritated at its length.

"Hell if I know! If I didn't know better, I'd say that Inazuma sent them without telling them what they were in for. It's like he wanted them to be killed off."

"Does he have no respect for those who fight for his honor?" Sango fumed.

"Probably not," Miroku answered. "Perhaps he wishes for us to shatter his defenses to lead us into a false sense of security. Or maybe he wants to look even more supreme if he defeats us."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Like he'll be able to defeat us! Come on, you guys, it looks like we still have quite a way to go."

Everyone resumed the trek, each lost in their thoughts about Inazuma's seemingly foolish motives and their chances of defeating him.

Soon, their second challenge swam into view. Ahead of them was a vast lake that appeared to be made of tar. On each side of this lake were dozens and dozens of youkai. Inuyasha sighed, once more pulling out Tetsusaiga. This fight proved just as easy as the last, and proceeded in pretty much the same manner. When the closest opponents were finished, the youkai on the opposite bank began to throw insults across the black water, as if taunting them closer.

"They want us, huh?" Inuyasha sneered. "Well, they'll get us!" He made a motion to leap over the lake, but he was halted by one of Misa's chains coiling around his waist and pulling him back to the ground.

"Don't! That's no ordinary black lake!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "And there are ORDINARY black lakes!"

Misa shot him a dirty look. "I mean that it's more dangerous than it looks."

The girl walked forward and prodded the sluggish liquid with a stick. Instantly, the stick began to give off smoke. When she withdrew it, it looked intact, but it also seemed to have lost something vital, because it looked dull and slightly unreal.

"Soul-Sucking Serum," She whispered, throwing the stick disgustedly away.

"Just the fumes are enough to do the damage."

To prove this, she tossed a rock over the lake. It halted in midair, seemed to fade, and dropped into the liquid. Then, Misa glared defiantly at Inuyasha.

"Guess you owe me one, huh?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something insolent, but what came out was: "Yeah, I guess I do."

Everyone gaped for a while before Misa broke the silence.

"Um, yeah. Well, I have just the thing for such a situation!" Misa reached into her side pouch and pulled out a small bottle filled with a whitish substance.

She threw this into the lake. Seconds later, a blinding white light engulfed them all as a thin, glassy sheet appeared over the lake.

"That should keep the fumes down and us up!" Misa chirped cheerfully before cautiously stepping onto this artificial floor and crossing the lake effortlessly.

"Who is this girl?" Miroku wondered aloud as the others followed her across, preparing to kick some youkai butt.

Apparently, the explosion had frightened them off, because nothing awaited them at the other side. Once more, everyone took up the hike, uneasily noting the narrowing of the safe area as they advanced.

In just a few minutes, the door of the castle was visible to them. Unfortunately, so was another group of youkai. Everyone in the group noticed something different about this wave, though. For one, there were only about five or six of them, while the other waves had at least three dozen. For another, they were much larger and appeared much more powerful.

Everyone brandished their weapons and took up fighting stances. Inuyasha launched the first attack, slicing at the nearest youkai. This youkai was seemingly very slow, because by the time it had raised its arm to defend, Inuyasha had cut it off. Landing, Inuyasha smirked.

"Not very fast, are w-" He broke off as the arm that he had severed suddenly grew back.

"Oh, shit."

Soon, everyone was involved in the battle. Inuyasha was tackling two of the Regenerators, leaving one for Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Misa. Shippou and Kirara acted as back-up for the humans, making sure that they were protected during attacks. After a while, it was apparent that they were making no headway at all. The ground was littered with Regenerator blood and body parts and still, the youkai fought as if each attack was a pinprick. Every time someone managed to wound one, the flesh healed immediately. Suddenly, there was a scream as Sango's youkai pushed forward and overpowered her, knocking backward. For the fight, Sango had given up trying to use her Hiraikotsu at close range and had drawn her katana. This weapon was now pressed to the youkai's neck as they fell. This wouldn't have been such a big deal if the safe zone hadn't thinned out so much. Because of this narrowing, the pair disappeared into the purple mist that surrounded the battlefield.

"Sango!" Kagome shrieked, giving her youkai a sound kick which sent it sprawling, only to regain its feet seconds later.

She began to run towards the spot where they had fallen, but Inuyasha grabbed her quickly and pulled her back. The others were retreating from the youkai as well. It seemed that, as they neared a certain point, the youkai stopped advancing and, instead, returned to the door of the palace. It was obvious that they had no order other than to prevent their entry.

Frustrated tears leaked down Kagome's face. They were facing a horde of seemingly unbeatable opponents who were guarding the one antidote to her condition, and now Sango... Sango was... Inuyasha held the girl as she wept. Just as he opened his mouth to offer comfort, he heard a rustling to his right. Whirling, he shoved Kagome behind him and held Tetsusaiga ready. The rustling intensified, then out of the mist, everyone heard a voice.

"Calm down, Inuyasha. It's just me."

The voice was muffled, but Kagome recognized it for who it was. "Sango!"

The taijiya emerged from the trees, panting. Her skin seemed to be burned slightly, because it had a pinkish tint. Her clothes were smoldering and the girl looked exhausted. On further inspection, Kagome realized why her voice was so muffled. Over her mouth and nose was the mask that she used when employing her own poison gas. It must have protected her from the fumes!

As if in answer to Kagome's thoughts, Sango nodded and said, "The poison gases must have been made like the gases that we used in my village. The mask was enough to keep me from breathing it, but I could do nothing for my skin or clothes. But...on the bright side, I found a way of defeating the youkai."

Lifting the hand that was not clutching her katana, Sango gave everyone a good look at what was clearly the head of a Regenerator. Obviously, they couldn't regenerate heads, or Sango would be dead by now.

Everyone's mood brightened a little as the idea clicked in their minds. She had killed one, now they just had to behead five more. At least they had a plan of action. Before they could move back into attack range, however, Sango removed her mask and they could see her panting in pain. Sweat poured down her reddened skin and she fell to all fours. Kagome gasped and ran to the girl's side. Misa looked at Sango and shook her head.

"The poison must have worked into her pores. It's not as effective as breathing it, but it can still be lethal. She needs care, immediately." Misa cast a glance at the group. Miroku stepped forward and addressed everyone.

"If everyone agrees, I will escort her back to Lady Kaede's. She is the closest thing to a healer that we know of. Myouga is there as well, and he has proven his worth at extracting poison."

Everyone nodded at this good idea. Even though they would be short more than half the group, they would travel on Kirara, and Shippou insisted upon acting as a second escort, Miroku felt no discomfort at leaving. On the contrary, he was glad that the weaker members would be out of the way so that they would not pose a distraction to Inuyasha and Kagome. Misa had insisted on staying, but she would be helpful because she could lead them through the castle. Besides, he hadn't expected to be much help in the fight against Inazuma, seeing as his strongest weapon was a hole in his hand. With a grunt of effort, Miroku lifted the now-unconscious Sango onto the fire-cat and beckoned to Shippou, who jumped onto his shoulder. Yelling well-wishes over his shoulder, Miroku clutched Sango's body tightly as Kirara took to the sky, leaving Kagome, Inuyasha, and Misa alone to face the inevitable.

Inuyasha tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga as the shrunken group approached the Regenerators once more. Now that they knew their weakness, however, the fight now went nearly as easy as the first two. Misa would sometimes immobilize one with her chains, leaving it vulnerable to decapitation, but usually, the hanyous found no problem in beheading them alone. When the dead bodies of Regenerators cluttered the ground, the trio stepped up to the door, uncomfortably aware of the gases pressing in close around them.

"It's time," Misa whispered, pressing the door inward.

It swung open with a loud squeal, and they entered the castle which would be the location of the final showdown of their journey.

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**A/N:** Okay so It's not exactly a long chapter, but hey I updated right. So please tell me what you think and I should have more chapters up soon. This chapter pretty much consisted of action, but there will be more steamy scenes later on.


	11. Sakaru returns, and enemies confronted

**A/N:** I know it's been awhile since I last updated, and I'm sorry about that. Though the fact of not having a computer makes things complicated. Anyways, I think that there will be three more chapters left in this story, then it's on to the sequel. What? you guys that I'd leave this story as a cliffie? Okay may-be I would, but I'm not. So, expect the sequel to be up by the end of this month, or the beginning of next month. Either way, It well be up as soon as I complete this story.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha, or anything related to the wonderful anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do own some characters like misa, and Sakaru the awesome tiger youkai. So enjoy and please tell me what you think.

**Chapter Eleven: Sakaru returns, and Enemies confronted**

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Stepping inside the door before allowing it to creak shut, Kagome, Misa, and Inuyasha stood prepared for battle. Surprisingly, nothing was waiting for them. Inuyasha wondered again if Inazuma wanted to draw them there. As if she'd read his mind, Kagome said, "Not much of a welcoming committee, huh? It's like he's asking for it."

"Well, I say count our blessings and move on," Misa said, leading the others down a maze of passageways. The other two could only pray that she knew where she was going, because there was no way that either of them would be able to find their way out. They were completely dependent on their guide.

After about ten minutes of silent walking, Inuyasha grew impatient. "Dammit, when in the hell are we gonna get there anyway? This isn't the first time that I thought you were leading us wrong, bitch!"

Misa turned and glared at him. "I got you to the forest, didn't I? I saved you from getting your soul sucked by a deadly lake, didn't I? I happen to have been as useful as you have, maybe even more so!"

"Stop it, you guys! In case you've forgotten, I don't have much time left!" Kagome said, in a desperate attempt to end the bickering.

Both of the rivals stopped their fighting at once and looked guiltily at Kagome. What she said was half-intended just to stop the fight, but it rang true as well. Kagome could tell that she was quickly approaching the end of her transformation, and, judging by what Kaede had told her, she would reach that stage in approximately 4 days. Maybe less, maybe more, but adding to the fact that it had taken them almost twice that to reach the castle, it meant that they were very pressed for time. They weren't panicking, however, because they could drop Misa off on the way. Then, without anything to slow them down, they could run like idiots if they had to.

Misa recovered fairly quickly from the twinge of guilt that she'd felt at Kagome's declaration.

"C'mon guys," She muttered. "Let's get this over with."

In only a few more minutes, Misa had led the hanyous to a very large room. The ceiling was so high that it couldn't be distinguished if it wasn't for the hole that allowed light to enter. In the far corner of this room sat an large throne, presumably Inazuma's. This was the only piece of furniture in the otherwise bare room.

Inuyasha and Kagome both inclined their heads and smelled the air. "Why did you lead us here, wench? I don't sense Inazuma anywhere near here, much less a garden!"

Misa turned slowly. "I'm sorry, but I can't lead you to the garden."

"WHAT?" Kagome and Inuyasha barked in unison.

"I have been sent to prevent you from reaching it."

Kagome stared. "Is this some kind of order left over from serving Inazuma?"

Misa slowly shook her head. "You truly don't know me? Well, I think I can jog your memories..." The girl lowered her head and seemed to shimmer...

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Sesshoumaru looked at the girl who Rin had befriended. Now that she was dressed in proper clothing, he realized that she must have come from a fairly well-off family. Her hands didn't bear the signs of hard work, even though it was evident that she was practicing to be a housewife. Around the same time that Inuyasha, Kagome, and Misa were entering the castle, Sesshoumaru confronted the girl while she and Rin were playing.

"It is now time for you to leave this place. Rin has befriended you, and I dislike making her unhappy, but you must return to your own home."

Yuriko frowned. "You know where my home is?"

Rin piped up. "Rin believes Sesshoumaru-sama, because he brought Yuriko- chan into the castle when she was hurt. Sesshoumaru-sama has to know where he picked you up!"

Then the little girl's face clouded. "But Rin doesn't want Yuriko-chan to leave!" She burst into heart-wrenching sobs.

Sesshoumaru winced at the sound and opened his mouth to tell her to be quiet, but Yuriko beat him to it.

"Rin-chan, If Sesshoumaru-sama says that it is time for me to leave, then I must go. I have taken advantage of his hospitality and even I feel that I have overstayed my welcome. Plus..."

Yuriko grinned a little.

"I'd love to see my home, my mother, again. Maybe I'd regain my memory."

Rin had stopped sobbing, but she still looked sniffly. "Rin will miss Yuriko-chan."

Yuriko stroked the little girl's hair. "And I will miss you. Maybe I can come visit sometime?" She glanced at Sesshoumaru, who gave a curt nod. Then, stepping forward, the youkai grabbed the girl's forearm and lifted her from her chair. Muttering a warning to Jaken about protecting Rin, he escorted the girl to the door.

Once there, Yuriko gave him a sour look. "You don't expect me to go by myself, do you? Like I'd have any idea where I'm goiiiiiii- Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Sesshoumaru had snorted, then lifted the girl into his arms and took to the sky. He hated having to be in such close contact with this human, but it was the only way to get her out of his hair for good. Well..maybe he didn't hate it as much as he'd thought he would, but he didn't dwell on it. It wouldn't matter soon.

In a while, he finally reached the place where he had first picked Yuriko up. Looking around, he saw a shack that was not that far away. As he walked toward it, he addressed Yuriko.

"In this house, your mother lives. You have no father, he was killed about a week ago." Yuriko gave a small gasp, but Sesshoumaru ignored it.

"You mother thinks that you have gone on a journey, but when you return, tell her that you have no recollection of your past. She will be more than happy to fill you in."

He sighed, thinking of Rin, who was probably bawling again.

"I shall fetch you when Rin wants to see you."

Finally, he reached the door and set the girl down. Knocking on the door, he whispered one last sentence to her before disappearing into the heavens once more:

"Your true name is Ishida Misa."

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Misa's shape changed and Kagome gasped. Inuyasha's nostrils were suddenly flooded with the gingery smell of a certain youkai that looked awfully familiar...

Standing before them was a large tiger.

"You!" Inuyasha snarled in rage, baring his fangs and drawing out Tetsusaiga.

"Yes, me." the tiger responded, locking her eyes on the pair and beginning to pace.

"Lord Sesshoumaru sent me, Sakaru, to ensure that you do not receive the antidote. On his orders, I am to dispose of you."

Inuyasha snorted. "Just try!"

With another shimmer, Sakaru transformed into a state that looked halfway between tiger and human.

"This body is better suited for fighting," She said with a sneer.

She raised her claws and poised to initiate the attack when a noise was heard in the hall. All three jerked their heads around to stare at the door, when who should appear but Inazuma himself.

Kagome looked in horror at the scene. Now there were TWO youkai that would be after their blood. But then, Inazuma spoke, and it wasn't to the trespassers...

"Sakaru, an apprentice of the youkai Naraku, ne?"

She looked at him, momentarily stunned then spoke.

"Hai, and he told me all about your fight! Pity you're so damn weak!" She laughed defiantly as Inazuma glowered.

Kagome was thinking hard. So...Naraku and Inazuma had fought before? Just then, she remembered something that Mrs. Ishida had said:

"...For a short while, we were forced to live in Lord Inazuma's castle, as slaves. Then, several years back, Lord Inazuma was attacked and defeated. We managed to get away. It was just three years ago that we learned that he still lived..."

_So! It had been Naraku who had defeated him! 'Darn...' Kagome thought. 'If only Sakaru was on our side, we'd probably have much better odds. This youkai probably knows exactly how he was defeated!_'

Inazuma, meanwhile, was laughing at Sakaru. "Weak, am I? Well, we'll see how weak I am after you are nothing but ash underfoot!"

He raised his arms and threw a ball of cracking lightning at her in a fashion that reminded Kagome of baseball. Sakaru looked on, astonished. She appeared to have frozen to the spot. As Kagome and Inuyasha looked closer however, they saw the problem. Inazuma was controlling the waves of static electricity so that they stuck Sakaru firmly to the ground.

A loud shriek resounded as Inazuma's attack struck its target. A blinding flash ensued, and when it cleared, it revealed an interesting sight.

Inuyasha was standing directly in front of Sakaru, holding Tetsusaiga in front of him. Looking back, Kagome saw the evidence that Inuyasha had split the blast and...protected Sakaru?

Sakaru looked just as stunned as Kagome.

"Why did you do that, halfling?" Sakaru asked, feeling the hold of static on her release and leaping away to face him.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Call it payback for the lake thing. But don't get your hopes up, I won't be doing it again."

Sakaru gaped at him. She had just claimed to kill him and his companion! She had poisoned the girl! She was taking orders, reluctantly, but still, from his much hated brother! But yet and still, he saved her life? What the hell was his motive? She opened her mouth to ask him just that when something that he had said when they first began the quest stopped her.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but we brought you along to help us infiltrate the castle, not to get your stupid ass killed! Remember that, you stupid wench! As long as you're traveling with us, remember that we all look out for each other!"

Sakaru thought for a second, then smiled. "Inuyasha, Kagome, when you leave this room from that door-" She pointed.

"Turn right, then take three lefts. There will be a tapestry bearing Inazuma's coat of arms. If you press your right hand against the skull, you will pass directly through the wall and into the garden. After getting what you need, find the green brick and press it. It will transport you outside. Believe me, please."

Inuyasha stared. "Why are you helping us?"

Sakaru shook her head sadly. "I never had someone to look out for me like that. I guess it activated a part of me that I never knew I had. But listen, we don't have time for this now. I will attempt the same technique that my sensei used to defeat him years ago. This time, however, don't let him get away."

She cast a meaningful look at Kagome. "That wave that you produced earlier was not a demonic attack. The blade responded to your miko half. The attack has the very unique ability to destroy the souls of demons. Usually, they just enter Jigoku and are reborn as other youkai because very few attacks can destroy them completely."

Kagome withdrew her sword and looked at it with pure respect. Inuyasha was staring too, but not at the sword. He kept wary eyes on Inazuma, who yawned and bellowed,

"Are you done planning yet? Stop delaying your own deaths!"

Sakaru winced and continued. "My sensei's attack is one of the most effective ways of destroying the body of a youkai. When he is destroyed, Kagome, his soul will escape, I need you to destroy it." With these words, she drew a small purple pouch from her waist and poured a glittering powder in a circle around Inuyasha and Kagome.

"This will protect you from the explosion."

"Explosion?" Inuyasha asked. "But then you'll-"

Sakaru nodded. "Hai, it is a kamikaze attack. I hope you will not waste my life, as I have."

"Iya!" Kagome wailed, trying to step outside of the golden circle, only to get thrown back rather rudely into the arms of Inuyasha. It appeared that the barrier was impenetrable.

"The shield will disappear once I am dead. I ask you to let my spirit free. Maybe we'll meet again someday..." Sakaru sighed, then turned to face Inazuma.

"I need my normal form for this," She muttered, changing back into the cheetah youkai. Firmly, she shouted,

"I'm ready for you, Inazuma!" She began to chant in indiscernible tones.

Inazuma took a fighting stance, then his eyes widened as he realized what she was doing.

"No..." he whispered. "I will not allow this again!" He began to throw balls of lightning at Sakaru as fast as he could summon them, but each was deflected by the violet light that was beginning to form around her.

Sakaru shivered in the cold, but continued her chanting, finishing the incantation.

Inazuma now looked positively terrified. "No!" he screamed, launching himself at Sakaru. "You can't w-"

He gagged. Sakaru had given an almighty shout and pressed her hand onto Inazuma's chest.

"Please..." he whispered. "Not again. You'll die, you know."

Sakaru smiled. "Maybe so. But you're coming with me, you nuisance!"

With these words, Sakaru pressed harder and felt herself disappear into his flesh.

"Arrrrghhh!" Inazuma bellowed, feeling the all-to-familiar cold pervade his senses, and watching as the purple light flowed from his skin.

"It doesn't...matter..." he gasped in pain. "I'll...just come...back again!"

Sakaru spoke from inside his head. "Don't count on it."

Kagome gasped and pressed her face into Inuyasha's shoulder as a silent explosion engulfed the area. Their small circle remained untouched, as Sakaru had promised. As the air cleared, Kagome could tell that the barrier had lifted. Stepping outside of it, she scanned the air, looking for traces of Inazuma's soul.

Inuyasha, who hadn't spoken for quite a while, stepped forward as well.

"Kagome, concentrate. You won't be able to see it with just your eyes...kind of like how I can't see the Kaze no Kitsu just with my eyes. Try to see the room differently."

Kagome nodded, and returned her teary gaze to the now-empty site of the battle. In an instant, the room flashed, and everything turned a bluish color. Everything, that is except for an orb that gleamed white in one corner. Tightening her grip on her sword, Kagome readied herself to strike.

Inuyasha felt the wave of power coming. It was so powerful that he could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. Kagome's blade had begun to drip with the acid-like power again, but he didn't think she noticed. Her eyes were fixed on a point that was in the corner.

Kagome tensed, then leapt forward, her eyes locked on the globe of white in the sea of blue. With a mighty yell, she brought the sword down and watched as it sliced the globe in two. She returned to the ground, and it landed in front of her, writhing like a worm that had been stepped on. Then, quite suddenly, it ceased its wriggling and lay still, disintegrating a few seconds later into a fine mist that blended with the air and vanished.

"You almost make me feel useless, wench," Inuyasha said, smirking.

"Was that a compliment, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha suddenly blushed and turned away.

Kagome walked in front of him, forcing him to meet her gaze once more. "Inuyasha. I need to know what is going on between us. I need to know if..." She trailed off here, but Inuyasha read the question in her eyes.

"Kagome. I don't love Kikyou. She's nothing but a memory to me. Sure, I feel like I owe her for what happened, but after Naraku is truly dead, I'll have paid my debt. She is important to me as a friend, but what walks this earth now is not her! I can't love a zombie!"

Kagome blinked back tears of relief. "So you..."

Inuyasha gazed at her, his gold eyes boring into her silver ones. "Ai shiteru, Kagome."

This was all that the girl could take. Her eyes overflowed with tears as all of her insecurities vanished. She felt like a weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders and she could finally stand up straight and look love in the eye. Inuyasha stepped forward to receive her as Kagome threw herself into his embrace, sobbing in relief, happiness, and unbelievable love.

"Ai shiteru, Inuyasha." she whispered, as he lowered his face to kiss her tears away.

For the fourth time, their lips met, and this time, there were no policemen watching, no mother to barge in. There was only time, and the two lovers that wished to share it with each other.

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Miroku was pacing around the room, deep in worry. When he had arrived at Kaede's hut, Sango was deeply unconscious. Her skin had felt very cold, despite her burns. For one horrible second, he thought that she had died, but a quick inspection proved that wrong. Kirara and Shippou had run into the hut and Miroku had been able to easily hear Shippou frantically explaining. Miroku had been very glad that he'd brought the little kitsune; he hadn't felt much like talking. In fact, he hadn't spoken a word since their arrival. He had simply laid Sango on the futon in a bedroom and began to pace the floor, which is what he happened to be doing at the moment...

Kaede entered from the room where Sango was being treated and touched Miroku's shoulder.

"Calm yourself, child. Ye will go mad from worry if ye do not relax. Sango will be fine. We have treated her for burns and Myouga has extracted the majority of the poison. By morning, she should be awake, although in no condition to move around. Ye should rest now. I will rouse ye if she wakes."

Miroku had remained silent through this speech. Looking at the door behind which Sango lay, he nodded slowly and sat on the floor, against the wall. Within minutes, his head had drooped and he was fast asleep. Kaede smiled a knowing smile and returned to the other room. Kirara was asleep at Sango's side while Shippou, dressed in a male nurse's outfit, was pressing a compress to the girl's forehead. Kaede sighed. _'Kagome and her world,'_ she thought.

_'Where male healers dress like that!'_ Surpressing a chuckle, Kaede allowed herself to drift off as well, Shippou following her lead in just a few seconds.

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Breaking their passionate kiss, Inuyasha and Kagome looked up to the ceiling and through the hole. The sky had darkened considerably, so there wouldn't be much time for travel tonight. There were still a few traces of light, however, and Inuyasha figured that it would be at least two hours until the moon rose.

"Come on, Kagome. We need to get that antidote and start heading back."

Kagome nodded, recalling Ayako's directions and following them. Sure enough, the pair ended up in front of a large tapestry bearing Inazuma's name and a shield with a sword piercing it. Scattered around the main image were many smaller ones. Kagome swiftly located the skull and, with a glance at Inuyasha, pressed her hand to it.

It was instantaneous. Kagome felt a rushing sensation, as if she had just done a loop-de-loop on a roller-coaster, and then, she was standing on a raised platform among a sea of plant life. Seconds later, Inuyasha appeared behind her.

Kagome began to walk among the vegetation. There were many different kinds, from pinkish vines that shrieked insults as they passed: "DIRTY HANYOU RUBBISH!", to reddish blossoms that giggled like schoolgirls and appeared to be exchanging secrets. Finally, they saw what they were looking for. A clump of dusty-looking yellow vines sat to their left. Shifting her gaze to look at the right, she saw an expanse of blue flowers. Sighing in relief, she leapt to where the flowers were. Inuyasha stayed on the platform, muttering something about not wanting to smell flowery.

"How do you reckon we get the antidote out?" Kagome asked him.

The flowers answered her, though. One reached a leaf forward and poked a red dot on its neighbor's back. Immediately, it began to pour forth a thick liquid. Fumbling quickly for the flask that she'd brought to hold the antidote in, she filled it nearly full with the viscous substance. Corking it and slipping it into her pouch once more, she leapt back up to where Inuyasha stood.

"So what? Do you drink that stuff or something?" Inuyasha asked, eyeing the blue stuff with disgust.

"Nope, silly puppy, I take it to Kaede so she can prepare it. This is too powerful to be taken directly!" She tweaked his ears. He grinned evilly and tweaked hers too.

"Eep! I forgot about those!" Inuyasha stared for a second, and then burst into laughter. Kagome began to laugh too.

_'He seems to be so happy now. This is the second time that we've had laughing fits together since I changed. You know...I think I'll kind of miss being a hanyou.'_

Once the two had recovered, Inuyasha found the green brick just behind the gaggle of insulting flowers.

Wading through yells of, "CASTLE DEFILING FILTH!" and "UNEDUCATED SLIME!", they both touched it and were immediately transported outside.

Inuyasha stepped forward, looking around. The cloud of mist around the forest had vanished, and there seemed to be no traces of youkai. It seemed like a curse had been lifted or something. Detecting the scent that the others had left when they parted, he turned to head in the direction of Kaede's. He'd only gotten a few feet before he'd realized that Kagome wasn't following. Turning to look at her, he opened his mouth to talk but the words died in his throat before he could force them out.

Kagome's eyes were red, her hair completely silver, the same color as her eyes. Blue markings had appeared on her cheeks and her fangs were bared.

"K-Kagome?" he choked. 'How could this be happening now! It's nowhere near time for her full transformation yet!' Thinking a little harder, he understood. _'It was the battle! She expended all of her miko energy! This let the youkai take over for a while until the miko half regains its strength...Oh. Oh, shit. I'm in trouble.'_

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Kagome snarled and leapt forward, slicing at Inuyasha, a killer gleam in her eye.

Kagome's attack missed Inuyasha by just millimeters. He resisted the urge to put her out of commission and leapt away from her instead. He was reminded strongly of the sparring match that they'd had, and it seemed like very long ago. With another snarl, she jumped at him once more and grazed his chest as he dodged.

"Kagome! Cut it out! You don't know who you are right now!"

He stopped to evade another attack and tripped her. She face planted, and he tried again to reach her.

"Kagome! Please remember! It's me, Inuyasha!"

For a second, recognition shone in her face. Just as quick as it appeared, however, it was gone. "Names mean nothing to me!" she snarled. "You are a male, and you are in my way!" She smelled him. "You are of no concern to me, hanyou!" she spat, launching another attack, but halting just as soon as she began.

She sniffed the air. Puzzled, Inuyasha followed suit. He placed the air's scent as familiar, almost like.a village. They must have been transported by the green brick to a place close to a village that was not far from the border of the Northern Lands. Kagome smiled, but there was no warmth in it. Then, she said something that made Inuyasha's blood seem to halt in his veins and freeze.

"I smell ningen blood. I will kill the vermin!"

Before he could open his mouth, there was a flash of silver and she had vanished.

"Oh, shit!" Inuyasha muttered.

He began to track her scent as well as the scent of the nearby villagers. If Kagome reached that village before him, he knew that she probably wouldn't waste time killing all of the inhabitants. If she was to succeed in doing that, she would destroy all of their lives, not to mention her own. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she murdered innocent people.

Finally arriving at the village, she saw that the girl had indeed reached it before him, and she was apparently causing much trouble already. "Kagome, STOP!"

The girl spun and dropped the man that she was holding by the throat, who fell to the ground and scampered away. Several immobile bodies lay on the ground around her as she answered, "Why do you insist on following me, slug?"

Inuyasha chose to let that comment slide. "Kagome, you can't hurt these people. You're not yourself!"

"I am more alive than I've ever been before! However, if you wish, I can kill you before I dispose of these pests, just in case you don't want to watch."

Kagome's eyes narrowed dangerously and she flexed her claws. While Inuyasha pondered a response, Kagome dashed away in a flash and returned with a small girl clenched in her arms. She looked to be about 7, and she was bawling.

An anguished cry came from a hut very near their location.

"No! Zuie! Please, let her go!" The woman began to cry and struggle against the two men that were holding her back.

Both men looked very subdued and angry, and they appeared to be fighting tears themselves.

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**A/N:** Cliffie! But don't worry chapter 12 will be up soon. So tell me what you think of this chapter, and I might just speed up my progress. lol


	12. Antidotes, and Making A Choice

**A/N:** Cliffhanger now continued, yay! lol.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha, or anything related to the wonderful anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do own some characters like misa, and Sakaru the awesome tiger youkai. So enjoy and please tell me what you think.

**Chapter Twelve: Antidotes, and making a choice **

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Inuyasha glared. "Let her go, Kagome!"

"I think I rather like her." Kagome lowered a claw and brushed it across the girl's cheek, drawing blood.

"Young blood is the sweetest." She lifted her hand and smeared Zuie's blood on her lips.

Licking her mouth, she tasted the blood on it and smiled maliciously. The girl began to cry louder than ever.

"Shut up, ningen wench!" Kagome roared, smacking the girl on her temple.

Inuyasha locked eyes with Zuie, and could tell the exact moment when her eyes slid out of focus and she blacked out.

Inuyasha clenched his fists. He didn't want to hurt Kagome, of course not! However, he couldn't allow her to hurt innocent people, either. He came to a quick conclusion. He had to lure her away from the village until her miko half could rise to subdue the youkai half. Forcing his face into a sneer, he said

"Drop the girl, Kagome. I challenge you to a fight. If I win, you leave these villagers is, if you live."

His heart felt as if it would burst when he spoke those last words, but he had to make it sound as if he'd put up a worthy fight.

Kagome seemed to consider this. "Okay, hanyou." She dropped the limp girl to the ground and walked toward Inuyasha. Zuie's grieving mother screamed and ran to her child.

"Don't get all snot-nosed, bitch," Kagome sneered to her. "She's still alive." She turned cold eyes to Inuyasha before saying,

"But she won't be for long after I dispose of our little hanyou friend, here."

Inuyasha beckoned to Kagome. "Come on, we won't fight here. There are too many innocents."

Kagome scowled. "Fuck the innocents." She followed Inuyasha anyway, despite her words..

Inuyasha's jaw had dropped. Since when did Kagome talk like this? Regaining his composure, he set off through the woods, headed for a place devoid of trees that he'd seen while following Kagome to the village. Reaching it, he turned to face her. He had a moment of shock when he didn't see her and wondered if she'd returned to the village in spite of her agreement. Just as he'd started to head back, a hand tapped his shoulder.

"Silly hanyou. Did I move too fast for you?" Kagome sneered in his ear.

Inuyasha growled and spun, slashing at the air where she- wasn't!

Kagome had leapt into the air and planted her feet on his shoulders. For a second, she remained in this slightly humorous position before leaping from his body with a strong bound, forcing him to slam into the ground even harder than he would've if she had said 'sit'. Inuyasha grunted in pain as Kagome launched into the air. Airborne, she tilted her body and flexed one of her arms to deliver a particularly powerful elbow drop when she returned to earth. Fortunately, Inuyasha raised his eyes just in time and rolled away, letting her crash to the ground beside him as he regained his feet.

"So, you're a little faster than I initially thought." Kagome murmured, brushing earth from her arm.

The fall didn't seem to hurt her at all! One part of Inuyasha wished that the battle had ended there, but the other part screamed in joy that she wasn't hurt.

Kagome, meanwhile, had drawn her sword. It wasn't dripping with green light, however. Since her miko powers were dormant, she couldn't produce the crescent that destroyed youkai souls. Inuyasha didn't allow his guard to drop regardless of the circumstances. He knew that even without her miko powers, she was still a full youkai at the moment and could destroy him easily. Reluctantly, Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga.

"Come on, wench!" he taunted.

"Just try me!" Kagome snarled and leapt at him, holding her sword high.

Inuyasha charged as well, and the swordfight commenced as the last remnants of light began to vanish from the sky.

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Miroku was once more flying across the sky on Kirara, holding Sango firmly with Shippou on his shoulder. Sango had been getting steadily worse, and as he watched her, she began to murmur in her sleep.

"Sango?" he whispered, concerned.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open and Miroku gasped. They had faded and were completely white. She opened her mouth and uttered a very clear message:

"Houshi, heir of the Curse of the Kazaana, hear me. You have three months. Just three months before your curse sucks you in...as well as all of your acquaintances. Enjoy what you have now, monk!"

Miroku looked at her in horror. Then, he heard her laugh, a laugh that sounded suspiciously like 'Kukukukuku...'

"Naraku!" he hissed. Sure enough, the form of Sango seemed to shift, and in her place sat the baboon-skin clad villain.

Yelling in rage, Miroku shoved him sideways and off of Kirara.

As Naraku began to fall, he shifted once more into Sango, who looked up at Miroku, shocked, and screamed, "Houshi-sama!"

Miroku looked down in shock. "Sango!" he yelled, reaching his staff down as far as he could.

Sango grabbed on to the other end with some effort, and Miroku drew her up, clasping her left hand firmly with his right. As Miroku sighed in relief, Sango voiced a shriek of mortal terror.

Looking down at the scene below him, Miroku too cried out in horror. The prayer beads that held his kazaana closed were vibrating wildly, and as he watched, they exploded, the pieces flying in all directions. There was no time for Sango to scream a second time before she was sucked in.

Whirling frantically, Miroku tried to redirect his hand away from Kirara and Shippou, but to no avail. They, too, were sucked into the kazaana and gone. With nothing holding him in the air anymore, Miroku began to fall, screaming loudly. As he watched the ground come nearer and nearer, he realized with a sickening jolt that he would probably never even reach the earth. He'd be pulled into the hole in his hand long before then...

Miroku awoke, clapping a hand over his mouth to stifle the cry that was about to escape him. When he was sure that he wouldn't scream, he removed his hand and used it to wipe the sweat from his face._ 'That dream felt so real...'_ he thought._ 'Especially the part about Naraku. What if it was a warning? What if I really do have only three more months left?' _Gazing with loathing at the hand that housed the kazaana, he sat deep in thought for several minutes before getting to his feet and pushing apart the partition that led to the room where Sango lay.

He entered and leaned over Sango's futon. He wanted to see if she would wake, but he thought better of it when he considered her condition. Instead, he took her hand in his.

"Everything will work out in the end, Sango. Trust me." Leaning against the wall, still clutching her hand tightly, he slipped into slumber once more.

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Sango looked around her. The land surrounding her was littered with the bodies of youkai exterminators from her village. In the middle of it all stood Kohaku, his sickle raised, and a dead look in his eyes.

_'I know what will happen,'_ Sango thought. _'I know the cause!'_ Looking at the lord of the house, she recognized him as the youkai that had possessed her brother to commit all these murders, who had possessed him to try to kill her as well. _'Maybe this time, I can stop it!'_

Kohaku's blade came at the girl, and she did what she had done when this situation had occurred almost a year before. She drew her katana, coiled the sickle around it, then threw both to the side. When the weapon was jerked free from Kohaku, she turned and sprinted towards the lord, not bothering to snatch up her Hiraikotsu, which is what she had done before. She barreled forward, and when she reached the spot where Kohaku had struck her down, she veered to the right, watching as the sickle flew harmlessly past. Smiling in relief, Sango leapt up to where the lord sat and snatched a sword from one of the guards. Effortlessly, she slit his throat, letting his body fall to the ground with a dull thud. There was silence as she looked around at the guards.

"He was a youkai!" She began, needing them to understand. "He wa-"

Her speech was halted as a guard drove a spear into her back, in the exact same spot where she would have been struck by Kohaku's sickle. She vaguely heard:

"The siblings have taken leave of their senses! Kill them!" She heard the twang of arrows and knew that Kohaku had been struck down.

She felt the guards lift her and throw her off of the deck.

Sango landed within a few feet of her brother and crept over his body as she had done that fateful day.

"Kohaku..." she whispered. "I tried harder this time, my brother, I promise I did..."

She heard another round of bows creak and she felt white-hot pain erupt along her already injured back. Collapsing, she fell forward onto Kohaku's body.

A little later, she opened her eyes, then shut them again quickly. Dirt had flooded into her eyes...why was there dirt over her? Had she been buried? Instead of maintaining her peace of mind as she had before, she panicked and didn't even try to fight her way out. She opened her mouth to scream, but dirt poured in, muffling the sound completely. She was starting to black out from sheer horror when she felt a hand on hers. She felt a patch of cloth on the palm, so it had to be...Miroku?

"Everything will work out in the end, Sango. Trust me," he whispered.

Sango felt strength flood her. She began to resolutely claw at the earth around her, making a hole large enough for her to finally draw herself out of the soil...

Sango opened her eyes and gazed around, disoriented. The room wasn't completely dark yet, being dusk, but everyone that she saw was fast asleep. It was only a few seconds later that she realized she held something in her hand. Turning her head slowly to look, she realized that Miroku's hand was indeed clasping her own. She made a move as if to snatch away, but something told her not to.

Relaxing once more, she mumbled, "I trust you, Houshi-sama," before letting sleep claim her once more.

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The last glints of light vanished as Kagome's and Inuyasha's swords locked together and sparks flew. Inuyasha was holding his ground, but Kagome knew that it would take practically no time for him to crumple. With a yell, she threw more weight behind the blade, forcing the hanyou to step sideways and try to use her momentum against her to throw her to the ground. Kagome saw this move coming, however, and changed position in the blink of an eye, bringing her elbow up into his face as she moved away, regaining her composure.

Inuyasha growled as he brushed blood from the corner of his mouth. He would have to think of some way to restrain her without wounding her badly. The problem was, she was a very worthy adversary. She seemed to be able to predict his movements before he even carried them out! There was no way that he could think of to bring her down without killing her.

"Kagome!" he tried again, desperate to reach her.

"Kagome, please remember! You don't want to fight me!"

There was no flicker of recognition this time. Inuyasha swallowed hard. He could feel energy rushing through the forest to swirl around her. The next attack would decide the battle. Holding Tetsusaiga ready, he prepared himself for the inevitable. Any second now, she would strike, and he still had no way of defense that didn't involve hurting her! Before he could contemplate it further, she had thrown herself forward, charging him. Inuyasha closed his eyes, in anticipation of the impact from her sword...

But the blow never came. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw that Kagome had frozen in her tracks. Her hands twitched and she dropped her blade. It clattered to the ground at her feet and dropped its transformation.

"Kagome?" he said, worried.

Her eyes were open, locked on his own, and as he watched, they faded from red to silver. Then, unexpectedly, they darkened to brown. Her claws retracted and became normal human fingernails, and her hair grew black from the roots to the ends. Then, much to his surprise, her dog-ears vanished, and human ears appeared in the appropriate place for them on her head. Kagome blinked.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered faintly. Then, without warning, she slumped to the ground and lay motionless.

Inuyasha stood there for a while, Tetsusaiga still held up in the air. When what he'd seen finally registered in his mind, however, he quickly sheathed it and ran to Kagome's side. Lifting her into his lap, he peered closely at her face.

Her human face.

_'What's going on?' he asked himself. 'Why is she ningen all of a sudden?'_ Then, he raised his eyes to the sky. Newly risen, the crescent moon winked at him. Inuyasha smiled in relief. Even though she was in full youkai mode at the moment, her blood was still hanyou, and it still forced her to turn human at a certain moon cycle...the crescent.

Inuyasha looked at her for a moment more. _'She must be exhausted,'_ he thought. _'First, her miko powers are used up in battle, and now, her youkai blood has recessed. She's completely vulnerable.'_ Gently, Inuyasha lifted her body and began to race to the south, toward Kaede's village. He knew that there was no way that they could reach it before morning, but he was still determined to make some headway. When she woke in the morning, if she was fully rested and back to normal, they could probably cover the rest of the distance before nightfall the following day.

Inuyasha gave a sharp laugh as he ran. _'Did I just think of her hanyou form as normal? Keh. Yeah, right. She's going to be happy to be fully ningen again. But damn, I'll miss the way she is now. When she's ningen, I know that she'll no longer want to be with me. Even if she does, it'd never work because she'd die centuries before I'd even get old.' He sighed as he looked down at the girl in his arms. 'Oh, well. Whatever it takes for her happiness.'_

Increasing his pace a little, he tried to stop the saddening thoughts from entering his brain, but hopelessly, he resigned to the fact that he was doomed to be alone forever.

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Kagome raced through the trees, following Inuyasha.

It was about noon, and he hadn't said a real sentence to her all day, unless "Let's go." counted. She was wondering why he wasn't speaking as much as he normally would, especially because they were alone. Since they were out of the castle, they had the antidote, and the danger was past, she expected him to be less...well...

"Hey, wench! Keep up unless you want to get left behind!"

Kagome realized that she had fallen back quite a way while absorbed in her thoughts. Speeding up a little,

She called, "Inuyasha, what's your problem today?"

Inuyasha didn't answer, and Kagome wondered whether he was hiding something. When she'd awoken that morning, she couldn't remember any of the events of the previous night. Inuyasha insisted that, after they had left the castle, she had merely collapsed from exhaustion, but she didn't quite believe that. She had no proof that he was lying, however, and could see no reason for him to withhold the truth. _'I mean,'_ she reasoned. _'It's not like I killed someone or something.'_

Inuyasha, at the same time, was deep in his own thoughts. He couldn't tell Kagome what she'd done, he just couldn't. After the moon had taken its toll on her, he brought her back to the village where, luckily, she wasn't recognized. He wanted to do as much as he could before setting out to Kaede's. He was able to help the people with their injured by using the bandages in Kagome's backpack. Of course, he hadn't returned just to help them. He felt that he had to find out if Kagome had killed anyone. When he'd posed that question to the leader of the village, the old man had solemnly shook his head. Kagome had slaughtered two men that night, and injured almost a dozen others.

_'Kagome,'_ Inuyasha thought._ 'I'm sorry that I couldn't get there in time. I feel like I failed you. If I could've been just a little faster, maybe I could have kept you from doing what you did. I know I'll have to tell you...but I wish I didn't have to.'_ He looked back at her. Restored to her hanyou form, her hair streamed out behind her, twinkling once more with its white strands, and her eyes flashed in the sun. Again, he thought of how much he wished that she could remain hanyou, and how impossible it seemed.

Kagome caught up to Inuyasha, fighting to maintain the quick rate of speed that he'd picked up.

"Inuyasha, what is it? I can tell that you're hiding something, and I want to know what it is."

Inuyasha scowled, muttered a characteristic "Feh.", and forced himself to go even faster.

_'With her badgering me, I'll tell her anyway,'_ He thought as he ran.

Still, Kagome kept up with him, asking him once more what he was concealing. Inuyasha defiantly leapt upward into a tree and continued his travel there. Despite his efforts, Kagome remained right beside him, persistently demanding information. Inuyasha prepared for a huge jump that would surely lose her, but he never even got the chance to bend his knees for it.

"SIT BOY!"

Inuyasha fell from the tree branch that he was on and met the ground head on.

"Ow! Dammit, bitch, what'd you do that for?"

Kagome dropped from the trees and stood over him. "You're going to tell me, baka, and you're going to tell me now, or I'll break every bone in your body!"

Inuyasha winced. From the look in her eyes, he could tell that she wasn't bluffing.

"Fine," he muttered, raising himself from the dirt and into a sitting position. "But you won't like it."

Kagome sat beside him and looked into his eyes. "Hey, I'm a big girl, Inuyasha. I can handle it."

_'I seriously doubt it,' _he thought, but gave a deep sigh anyway and proceeded to tell the story of the crescent moon night.

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Kaede awoke to find the room that she was in nearly empty. Sango was gone from her futon, but the youkai had not moved from her their sleeping spots. The old woman pushed herself to her feet with her cane and made her way to the partition that led to the other room. Moving it aside, she entered the other room and got a similar shock. Miroku had gone as well.

Kaede smiled knowingly and set about making tea for their reappearance. _'It is about time that those two stopped their bickering and realized what they really feel for each other,'_ she thought. _'Now if only Miroku can stop touching every female that he encounters, he may have a chance yet.'_ With the grin still firmly fastened to her face, she returned to the other room to rouse Shippou and Kirara.

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"Your turn," Miroku said, leaning back against the rock and gazing across the lake. Sango was sitting at his side. Her forearms and head were still wrapped in bandages from the burns, but she had insisted that she felt well enough for a walk.

Sango thought hard. "Hmm... Why do you always grope every girl you see?"

Miroku chuckled for a second before answering. "Well, Sango-chan, how will you ever find the one for you if you can't test the merchandise?"

Sango hit him upside the head with her knuckles and sighed. "I guess I was mistaken that you could ever be serious, eh, Houshi-sama?"

Miroku sighed and the smile faded from his face. "If you want a serious answer, I'm afraid I can't give one. It's a completely inexplicable part of me." He turned to face her.

"However, if you were to ask why I grope YOU, Sango-chan, my answer would be that I find you very beautiful and attractive."

Sango blushed and turned away. Both said nothing for a long while, before she finally chirped out, "Your turn."

"Why do you always beat the living daylights out of me when I touch you?"

Sango looked as if she was seriously contemplating hitting him again until she realized that he was serious.

"Well, Houshi-sama, I think that it is very indecent and offensive. You claim that you're a monk and then you turn around and act like a lecher! You act like you don't care how the female feels about it, as long as you get what you want." Sango hugged her knees and fixed her eyes on an ant that was making its way to the water.

Miroku was silent for a few minutes, then said, "If it really bothers you that much, Sango-chan, then I'll stop."

Sango looked up in surprise. "What's wrong with you today?"

"Nothing. I'm just...re-evaluating myself, that's all."

"Oh." The pair fell quiet once more. Then, Sango asked another question.

"Houshi-sama? Did you really mean it when you said that you thought I'm beautiful and attractive?"

Miroku let a smile play across his face. "Sango-chan, I'm surprised at you!"

"What'd I do?"

"You tried to take my turn by asking two questions in a row."

"No, I didn't!"

"You asked me, 'What's wrong with you today?'..."

"That didn't count!"

"Ah, but it did."

"Houshi-sama! Stop making such a big deal about this and answer the qu-"

But Sango never finished her statement. After all, it's kind of hard to talk while you're kissing someone.

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Kagome's hands were over her mouth and silent tears coursed down her face. "No..." she whispered faintly.

Inuyasha had refused to look at her as he recounted last night's events. Now, he turned to her and drew her into his arms, where she began to sob loudly, wailing her heart's ache into his chest.

"I'm sorry, Kagome," he said. "If only I'd been faster, I could have stopped you."

With much effort, Kagome raised her head and looked into his eyes. "It's not your fault," she declared.

"It was this disgusting mess that we call Kagome!" She pushed him away and turned to face the south.

"Kagome, it wasn't your fault, either! You weren't in control of yourself!"

"I wasn't in control of myself because I'm weak, Inuyasha! I'm too weak to manage my own body!"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha stepped up to the girl, grabbed her arms, and spun her to face him.

"You can't blame yourself! Who cares if you lost control over yourself for just that one night? Isn't it something that in all the battles that we've been in since you changed, you never once lost your composure?"

Apparently, this wasn't exactly the right thing to say. Kagome reddened and yelled, "I care, Inuyasha! I care that I killed people last night! Life may not mean much to you, but I think it's pretty damn precious!"

"Listen to yourself! Of course I care about life! But the life that I care about now is yours, Kagome. I'm not going to let you destroy yourself because of one mistake! Move on and keep living!"

Kagome stopped struggling against his grasp. The last statements appeared to have reached her ears. Inuyasha released her and she raised a hand to brush tears from her eyes.

"Let's go," she said coolly. "I want to get this...this monster out of me!" Without waiting for consent, she took off.

Inuyasha delayed for a moment before following._ 'Monster? Does she think that of me, too? Am I nothing but a barbaric beast to her?' _He sighed, then took up the journey once more.

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"WHAT?" Sesshoumaru roared, banging his fist on the table and leaping to his feet. He looked nothing like his cool, collected self at that moment. He was showing emotion big-time...

Jaken jumped and pressed his face into the floor. "I'm so very sorry, Lord Sesshoumaru, but they managed to defeat Inazuma and acquire the antidote! I don't know how they could have done it!"

Sesshoumaru made a disgusted face as if he were seriously contemplating ripping the toad's head off his shoulders and giving it to Rin to play with.

"No matter," he snarled. "This just means that I will enjoy killing the two of them that much more!"

"Bu-bu-but Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken blubbered. "If you were to attack your half-brother or his wench, the wrath of the inhabitants of the Northern Lands would be upon you!"

"Explain, Jaken."

"Well, the wench Kagome was the one who defeated Inazuma for good, by destroying his soul. But she is female, and cannot control the lands without defiance!"

"The point, idiot?" Sesshoumaru glared at Jaken, losing his patience.

"What I mean to say, Lord Sesshoumaru, is that if Inuyasha has truly taken the girl as his mate, then he is in a position to rule the Northern Lands!"

Sesshoumaru's anger ebbed for a moment. _'That's right...'_ he thought. _'Since they defeated the Taiyoukai of the North, they now control his territory! This means, that if I defeat my idiot half-brother, I will control two cardinal directions!'_ Sesshoumaru grinned, and Jaken gasped in horror.

"Please, my Lord, don't grin in such a fashion! I much prefer your anger!"

Sesshoumaru stood and began to leave the room. Over his shoulder, he called, "Jaken. When my brother stakes claim to the Northern Lands, make sure that I am notified. I will kill him when I can profit most from his death."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken responded, sighing in relief that his life had been spared after relaying such bad information.

Sesshoumaru was impressed at how well everything had turned out. Now, he could kill his brother with many more rewards than he had ever thought possible. He would gain his territory, as well as rights to his bitch. All he had to do was wait until Inuyasha claimed what was his...

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Kagome and Inuyasha arrived at Kaede's in what seemed like record time. Entering the door, the pair found Kaede sitting on the floor, sipping tea. A full pot of it sat in front of her, but no one else was to be found.

"Kaede-baa-chan, where is everyone?" Kagome asked, using her senses to discern that the house was empty save for the old lady.

"I know not, child. Miroku and Sango have been gone since this morning, and I sent Shippou and Kirara to find them. Have ye the antidote?" Kaede quickly changed the subject, not wanting to have to hold a conversation about what Kagome and Inuyasha thought the others were up to.

"Hai, right here," Kagome answered, drawing out the vial and handing it to her.

Kaede inspected it closely and sighed, rising to her feet. "I shall get started on its preparation right away."

"Lord Inuyasha, so good to see that you are well and have succeeded in your mission," a small voice came from Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Myouga-jiji, how is it that you're never around when we need you?" Kagome asked, annoyed.

"It is a rare talent," was all that Myouga could get out before he was flattened and thrown away by Inuyasha, who muttered something about useless fleas.

Myouga's appearance was soon followed by that of Miroku and Sango, flanked by Kirara and Shippou, who both looked immensely proud of themselves.

Kagome rushed forward to hug Sango and to say how glad she was that she was all right. Sango looked into the corner, saw Kaede preparing the antidote, and immediately demanded details on Inazuma's defeat.

While Sango was getting caught up on the events of the previous evening, Miroku yanked Inuyasha out of the hut by an ear, earning himself a huge punch on the head when they finally got outside. When Miroku finally recovered, he looked up at Inuyasha.

"So, how well did you and Kagome do?"

Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched in irritation. He knew perfectly well that Miroku didn't mean the fight. "That's none of your business, hentai."

"Well, I thought you might want to talk, seeing as how Sango and myself have come along quite nicely."

"Wh...you...and Sango... No way!"

Miroku nodded, a grin on his face. "We were finally able to express our feelings, and we shared an intimate moment before Shippou barged in..." Here, he shot an agitated look at the kitsune, who was sitting in the windowsill, watching, but continued.

"I just wondered if you and Kagome had had the same luck."

Inuyasha stood there, dumbfounded, for a few seconds. The lech...and Sango? Where had THAT come from?' Finally, he managed to move his lips and said, "Well, Kagome and I-"

A shriek from inside the house caused him to abandon the sentence. Both males took off running toward the hut and entered, looking frantically around for the source of the scream.

Sango was biting back so many giggles that it looked as though she was in pain. It was clear that she had shrieked- with laughter.

"Sango, shhh!" Kagome pressed her hand over the girl's mouth and they both fell to the ground. Once they had toppled over, neither could hold it any longer and they exploded into mirth.

While they lay there, panting with the force of their laughter, Shippou decided to make it worse. He transformed into a perfect copy of Miroku, that is, if you don't count the tail, and leaned over Sango. With an overly fake deep voice, he inquired, "Pretty Sango, will you bear me dozens and dozens of children?"

This caused the girls to dissolve into giggles once more, and the guys sweatdropped. It was obvious that they had been talking about the new relationships that had developed. Stepping forward, Inuyasha grabbed Shippou, who popped back to his normal shape at the contact, by the tail and lifted him to eye level.

"Oi, brat! Just what the hell is going on in here?"

The girls abruptly stopped laughing and diverted their gazes. Miroku nudged Inuyasha and gave him a sly look, then nodded toward the door. Inuyasha looked confused for a second, but then quickly got the idea and dropped Shippou, who fell on his head with a loud, "OW!"

The guys ran forward to where the girls sat. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and put her over his shoulder and Miroku did the same to Sango.

Kagome blushed. "Hey! What are you doing!"

"Put me down!" Sango yelled, kicking and trying to wriggle free.

Both girls failed miserably at getting away, and were completely helpless as the guys left the house and headed right for the lake...and promptly chucked the girls in.

"KYAAAAA! Miroku, I'll kill you!" Sango screamed, floundering and spluttering, her soaked hair in her face.

"Inuyasha, I'll get you for this!" shrieked Kagome, her silver eyes flashing.

Now it was the guys' turn to laugh. They clung to trees for support as they watched the sopping wet girls emerge from the lake like swamp monsters. They were laughing so hard, in fact, that they failed to see Kagome whisper something in Sango's ear, who nodded emphatically. The girls turned to face the gleeful guys with sinister grins on their faces. yells of rage they tackled their respective guys and brought them to the ground, pulling them into a rather soppy kiss. When they broke away, everyone was soaking wet and shaking with cold, but everyone was once more laughing.

They could have stayed there until nightfall, holding each other, if it wasn't for Kaede calling them with, "The antidote is ready!"

A half-hour later, everyone was sitting in a circle around the fire outside, completely dry. Kaede had brought out a bottle in which she'd put the antidote. It was now a purplish color instead of blue. Kaede ensured Kagome that it would serve its purpose, but probably wouldn't taste very good.

Kagome accepted the bottle and looked around at her friends. "Well this is it!" she said. "To my health!" Everyone nodded, and Kagome drained the bottle, then sat back, waiting for the change.

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**A/N:** Not done with story just yet, though thanks to all who reviewed. Tell me what you think, and your opinion on whether Kagome should stay a hanyou, or change back to a human.


	13. Home, and New Beginnings Lemon

**A/N: **Okay so I'm posting this a little sooner than expected, but hey at least it's here right? Like I said in the last chapter, This chapter will have a pretty desent **lemon** in it. I am very descriptive when It comes to **lemons**. So If you are not in the matured audience, I advise you to not read this chapter. I will not be reported for indecency.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha, or anything related to the wonderful anime. My sister's original story is what this story is based on. She helped me write this. I do not her story. So don't sue me. I do own some characters like misa, and Sakaru the awesome tiger youkai. So enjoy and please tell me what you think.

**Chapter Thirteen: Home, and New Beginnings *Lemon***

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Kagome refused to lock eyes with the person that she was speaking to. "I hope you understand that I can't stay here. As much as I have enjoyed being here, this isn't my home. Sure, I'll miss all of my friends, and I have so much that I didn't get to do here, but I have to do what I feel is right. It wouldn't be normal for me to stay."

"Don't you feel bad about leaving a guy behind who loves you?"

"I'll get over it! Besides, there's already someone waiting for me at home."

"Well, Kagome, I know that nothing that I can say will make you stay if you don't want to. Just know that you'll always have someone here." With this, the person stood and folded Kagome into a tight embrace, finally allowing tears to fall.

Kagome sniffled, mentally cursing herself for allowing her to cry. She had wanted to make this painless. "Tell the little guy that I love him, and tell him not to grieve for me. I'm going where I belong."

"It's just so hard to let you go, Kagome!"

"I know. It's hard to let go of this place, this time, as well. I've spent so much time here that it's very hard to leave it behind."

"Well, you'll come back to visit, ne?"

"Umm...that's what I wanted to tell you..."

"Nani?"

"I won't be coming back. Ever."

"But...but...NO! Then...then I forbid you to go back! I'll go down there and seal off the well!"

"As much as you don't like it, you know you can't do that. You know that this is for the best."

"I...I can't believe that you're really leaving us all!"

"I have to. Tell everyone good-bye for me."

The person brushed away tears and watched as Kagome departed. Running to catch a final glimpse, this person could just catch a flash of the girl and her yellow backpack vanishing through the well...never to return again.

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Kagome sat at the bottom of the well, trying to stop her tears and straighten her face before dealing with the time that she had chosen. Of course, she had no time to do so...

"Oi, wench! What took you so damn long? I gave you two of these hour thingies!"

Kagome looked up to see a red-clad hanyou holding up her stopwatch, and laughed. Getting to her feet and bending her powerful legs, she sprang from the well and landed softly on the grass. "Calm down, Inuyasha! I had to say good-bye to my mom." Stepping forward, she planted a kiss on his lips, immediately halting his anger.

"Yeah, well. Come on, we're having a celebration at Kaede's."

"A celebration? For what?"

Inuyasha smirked. "You'll see!" With this, he snatched up the girl's huge backpack and began to race away. Kagome smiled, allowing her sharp fangs to show. Her silver eyes followed Inuyasha's progress, and when he'd gotten sufficiently far away, she took up the chase. Sprinting through the forest, her black hair streamed out behind her, glinting occasionally when a sunbeam hit one of the many white strands that were scattered through it. The wind rushed through her dog-like ears as she sped up. A few yards from Kaede's, she managed to catch up to Inuyasha.

"Grrrr, you let me win again!" she whined, playfully tugging his hair as they walked the remaining distance.

Inuyasha laughed. "What fun is it if I beat you every time?"

Kagome stuck out her tongue at him and Inuyasha grabbed it. "How about I slit this off for you? Then I won't have to hear your complaining any more." He released her tongue and laughed.

Kagome let a seductive smile play across her lips. "Yeah, I suppose that's an upside...but the downside would be the lack of..." Here she pulled him into a passionate kiss, her hands locked around his neck. Inuyasha responded by placing his hands around her waist and drawing her closer.

When they broke apart, Inuyasha gulped and said, "Nevermind. I would kind of miss that..."

Shippou burst from the hut at that moment and threw himself into Kagome's arms. "Kagome! Are you really going to live here now?"

"Hai, Shippou-chan." Kagome affectionately patted the kitsune on the head as the three entered Kaede's.

Kagome was shocked to find the hut completely empty. "Inuyasha," she began. "I thought you told me there was a celebration going on!"

"There is," he answered, ushering her out of the back door.

Immediately, there arose a huge group shout of, "Welcome home, Kagome!" Kagome shrieked and nearly fell on her butt with surprise. Every person that she'd met since arriving in the Sengoku Jidai, minus youkai and dead people, were all standing around the yard, beaming at her. Even the real Misa and her mother had shown up for the festivities. Kagome's initial shock faded into misty appreciation.

"Wow! Thanks everyone!" She cried, running to hug the people that she hadn't seen for ages, including Nobunaga and the chief of the village that they'd saved from the kappa that had stolen the water goddess's staff. Nostalgia overwhelmed everyone, and they couldn't help but recount their adventures. Kagome noticed, with a small smile, that Sango and Miroku were never more than a few feet apart.

The celebration lasted well into the night, until finally, well-fed and slightly fuzzy headed from sake, everyone waved good-bye to Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kaede, and left.

There was still one person that hadn't shown up, however. While Kagome was helping tidy up after the party, she felt a presence very close to her. Looking around, she saw that none of her friends were close enough to give that sort of impression. Kagome quickly regained the company of the others and asked them if they sensed anything strange.

"Strange, Kagome-san? Like a youkai?" Miroku inquired.

"Sort of," Kagome answered biting her lip. "Oh! I've got it!" Concentrating, she forced her vision into the sort of blue haze that she'd used in Inazuma's castle. Looking around her, she saw the figures of her friends and the six orbs that represented their souls.

Wait- six? Peering closer, Kagome realized that one of the souls wasn't contained in a body. It hovered just over Inuyasha's head. Reaching out, she pulled it to her body gently. It seemed to move without her help; she didn't even need to make contact for it to follow her hands.

"What is it, Kagome?" Kaede asked. The old woman could sense something, but she was nowhere near as Aware as the young miko. The others, who had very little Awareness themselves, were completely lost.

"A soul," Kagome whispered. She felt a strong sense of deja-vu as she peered into the globe of light, and then, realization dawned on her. "It's Sakaru!"

Everyone was now looking at her with interest. "You mean the youkai that helped you defeat Inazuma?" Sango said incredulously.

Kagome nodded. "She asked me to spare her soul after she was killed." The girl spread her palms and allowed the soul float up and away while she returned her vision to normal. "And she had a message. It was strange, though. It was something like, "You will meet me, but you will not know me. From beyond the grave, I shall live.'"

Miroku thought hard. "Maybe she is hinting at her reincarnation."

Kagome brightened. "Yes! That has to be it! She's saying that her reincarnation will join us!"

Kaede had remained very silent after Kagome had revealed the name of their spectral visitor. Now, she spoke: "Be ye sure, child, that the name of the soul was Sakaru?"

"Hai, Kaede-baa-chan. Why?"

"Sakaru was the one to whom the sword ye now wield belonged."

"What? Impossible! That's a miko blade!" Inuyasha interrupted.

"And Sakaru was a miko. She was the same age as my sister when she lived. Her weapon of choice was the katana that was called the Sora-Ki, or the Spirit of the Sky."

"Well, how did you come to possess it?" Kagome asked, very interested now.

"Sakaru disappeared a few months before Naraku caused the calamity between Inuyasha and Kikyou. At least, she disappeared to everyone but me. One day, she returned to me and gave me the Sora-Ki, telling me to offer it to Kikyou. If my sister refused, I was to wait for another to claim it."

"Just one problem," Inuyasha jumped in. "The Sakaru that we're talking about was youkai, and this Sakaru seems to be ningen."

"When Sakaru returned to me, Inuyasha, she was hanyou. I strongly suspect that she fell victim to her own curse."

"You mean-" Kagome started.

"Hai, child. Sakaru was prey to Siaku powder."

Everyone fell silent and became deep in thought. This was unexpected! No one had ever suspected that Sakaru once was a miko, but now it explained her knowledge of potions, poisons, and everything else.

The brooding was abruptly ceased when Shippou began snoring loudly from Sango's lap. Laughing heartily, the girl picked him up and brought him into the hut, followed by Miroku and Kaede. Kirara was already asleep inside. Turning, Kaede faced Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Be ye ready to turn in?"

Kagome shared a look with Inuyasha. "No offense, Kaede-baa-chan, but we'll sleep in the trees tonight."

Kaede smiled. "Sleep well."

She entered the hut and closed the curtain behind her.

Kagome grinned as she turned to Inuyasha. "What a day, huh?"

Inuyasha smiled back at her. "Yeah, I guess it was. Ready for bed?" He asked this because Kagome had just let out a yawn that looked as if it could have cracked her face open. She regarded him blearily.

"Guess so."

The pair walked through the forest until they reached the Goshinboku. There, Inuyasha picked Kagome up and leapt into the branches, settling down against a tree trunk. He still held Kagome in his arms, and she snuggled up against his chest. "Oyasumi nasai, Kagome," Inuyasha said, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Kagome mumbled a reply. She was already falling asleep against his warmth. Her last coherent thought before lapsing into the world of dreams was, 'Tadaima.'

'I'm home.'

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Inuyasha led her away from the others, promising to catch up to them by daybreak. Kagome was seriously wondering what this was all about, but she relaxed as Inuyasha turned his piercing golden gaze on her and spoke.

"Kagome. I am aware that you love me, and I love you as well. I wish to cement our relationship so that no one can ever tear us apart."

Kagome stared. It was unusual to hear Inuyasha address her with no trace of shame at speaking his mind. "You mean..."

"Hai. But not just the physical act. I can mark you as my mate so that no other youkai would dare try to claim you. This mark will also tie us in to each other's minds, so that we will be able to sense the other's emotions. We would even be able to tell if one of us is in danger. Mind-talk isn't uncommon, either."

"Mind Talk?"

"It means that I can speak to you without using my voice, so that you will be the only one who hears."

Kagome nodded to show that she understood. Looking into his eyes, she realized that he really needed an answer before he allowed himself to settle down and recognize their love. "Inuyasha. Did you ever think that I would object to being your mate? I will have you, and no one else."

Inuyasha watched her face for any sign of amusement or trickery, but he caught none. "Kagome..." he whispered, and she came forward, her lips searching for his and finding them, locking the pair into a burning kiss. Kagome fisted her hands in Inuyasha's hair as he clutched her closer. Then, quite abruptly, he pulled away.

"This may hurt. Hold on to me."

Kagome did as requested and gripped him tightly as he lowered his head to her neck area. Choosing the spot just between her neck and shoulder, he lowered his mouth and began to suck on the area until blood rushed to the surface and reddened it. Then, before it could recede, he drove his fangs into her, causing a pained shriek to tear out of Kagome's mouth. As the blood ran from her wound, he used his tongue to catch every bit of it, finally moving his mouth to the mark itself. As he flicked his tongue over it, a sound started in Kagome's throat. She began to softly purr at his touch.

When Inuyasha was satisfied with the mark, he pulled his face up to meet hers. Letting her instincts kick in, Kagome began to do as Inuyasha had just done, bit into his neck causing it bleed. As he gasp from the pain she licked the spot just as he had done.

Inuyasha was thoroughly shocked when Kagome wandered down to his neck, kissing, sucking, causing goose bumps to rise on his supple skin. He mistook her for the "shy type". Inuyasha shuddered when she grazed a fang against him hardening even further underneath her. Reflexively she pressed herself more firmly against him, her body rebelliously seeking that tantalizing pleasure of its own accord. Not that she had any intention of stopping it. Inuyasha's breath continued to hitch and heave as Kagome worked on his neck. She smoothed her hands over his cloth-covered chest, feeling the taut muscles jump and pulse under her touch. Deciding she wanted to feel his skin directly, she began untying the strings holding his haori closed. Somehow she managed, though her fingers were shaking almost uncontrollably. Sliding his shirts down his shoulder and baring his upper body was an electrifying experience for her. How many times had she seen this chest, touched it, bandaged it? But never in these circumstances, and never had the sight and feel of it warmed her in such a sexual manner.

Inuyasha lurched forward suddenly, throwing Kagome off balance as he brought both hands up to support her. She leaned back in compliance, perfectly content to let the half-naked hanyou before her do as he saw fit…for now. Inuyasha didn't disappoint, moving his hand behind her neck and pulling her in for another kiss, pouring into it all the passion she had inspired in him. Simultaneously, he cupped her ass and drew her closer still, increasing the delicious pressure still mounting in their nether regions. For Kagome, the relentless pressure between her legs intensified the nigh unbearable heat permeating her entire body. For a woman who had never been so hot before, even her own skin was wonderfully uncomfortable.

Her head rolled back as her eyes slid shut, her body continuing to subtly beg for more. Inuyasha's hand suddenly landed on her breast, causing her to release a choked gasp as her back arched unnaturally, pressing herself into his hand, as she had done the last time. Inuyasha then proceded to make his way back to the mark he had just made, as his fangs on her neck sent her shivering in his grasp, delighting in the multi-pronged assault on her body. Inuyasha continued to knead her breast through the cloth, and she groaned longingly when he stopped, undoubtedly giving his ego quite a boost.

Again they found themselves at a crossroads, and again Kagome was the one to drive them forward. Unfortunately, that meant prying herself from Inuyasha, which was truly difficult considering the lightning sparks still shooting through her core from their intimate contact. Still, the arousal couldn't completely obliterate her nerves; she had seen his chest before, but she had never taken his pants off. She had seen him naked before, but certainly never while he was sporting an erection. A rather impressive one at that, if the persistent tingling between her legs was any indication. Taking a deep breath didn't help; the scents in the air only reminded her of just how sexually stimulated they both were. Strangely, that actually helped calm her slightly, reminding her that they both wanted this so badly. Not that the look in his eyes wasn't sufficient evidence of that.

Kagome pulled back, attempting to squat on her heels but finding that her legs were too shaky to balance her weight. She settled for kneeling with her ankles on either side of her hips, rubbing her thighs together as her body continued to simmer despite being taken off the burner. She reached for him, taking his hand and pulling him down until he was kneeling as well. He seemed to get the message at that point, as he hurriedly tried to undo the ties to his hakama. Gently she prodded his hands away, daring a glance up at him as she began to unfasten the ties herself. He could only watch in rapt anticipation as she slowly worked on his hakama, studiously avoiding touching or looking at his prominent erection as she went. He might have laughed at her timidity if that particular part of his body didn't need her attention so desperately. It had a mind of its own, throbbing and quivering as if to compel his mate to give it some of the affection the rest of his body was receiving. It made an exceptionally powerful leap just as Kagome was moving over to work on the ties on his other hip, impacting her hand and causing her to squeak and pull back in shock and embarrassment.

She felt understandably foolish after that display; it would be kind of hard to make love without touching Inuyasha's penis at some point. She blushed and grinned sheepishly, Inuyasha joining her as the two shared in a private joke for virgins only. The humor made Inuyasha bolder, as he grabbed Kagome's hand and wrapped it securely around his erection. Her flush intensified, but curiosity and excitement as well. Tentatively at first, she began to stroke him, running her hand along his covered length. He tried and failed to suppress a low, appreciative growl as his hips thrust forward of their own volition. Kagome glanced up at him, surprised to find his eyes closed, teeth gritted. He looked like he was struggling to control himself, and she was amazed she could have such an effect on him through such a simple act. She wondered what it would be like without the barrier of his hakama.

Brazened by his obvious approval, she lowered his hakama so she could view him directly. For a long minute she just stared, mesmerized by the pulsing mass of flesh before her. Slowly, agonizingly so for the owner of said mass, she reached out and grasped it in one hand. She was astonished by the softness of the skin, and how pliant it was as she resumed her gentle stroking. It looked so hard, and yet it was incredibly soft once you got close to it. Such an astonishing contradiction, but one could say the exact same thing about Inuyasha, a man whose tough demeanor hid a kind heart and a beautiful soul. But he would never again be able to hide those things from her, and it thrilled her to know that he probably wouldn't want to.

Inuyasha couldn't take much more of this. His body was already over-sensitized by the sheer newness of all this, and Kagome's sweet torture was threatening to push him over the edge far sooner than he would have liked. He didn't want his first orgasm with her to be like this; he wanted it to come when he was buried deep inside her, completing the process of becoming his mate. Beyond that, his hands were practically itching to touch her in return, but he could barely concentrate on breathing with his loins afire at her skillful manipulation. So it took a heroic exertion of willpower, but he finally managed to push her hand away. And as he grasped her wrist, contemplating what to do next, he realized that his insecurities and inhibitions had utterly vanished. The waves of pleasure and Kagome's words had purged them from his being. He hesitated no further, moving forward and taking hold of Kagome, laying her gently on her back. He attacked her lips, nearly bruising them with intensity of his passion.

Kagome melted under the assault, her eyes sliding shut as he dominated her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her hold providing an anchor to her rapidly fading grip on reality. His hands again found her breasts, scorching her skin and causing her to arch into him. She tore her lips away and moaned loudly when he lightly pinched her nipple, rolling the sensitive bud between his fingers. His caresses took on a rougher, more feral edge as their excitement reached new heights, but nothing he did felt anything less than divine. Her body began to writhe like a dancing serpent as she wordlessly pleaded for the touch of her charmer where she really needed it. Her hands flew to his shoulders, clutching so tightly that her claws pierced his skin, drawing thin rivulets of blood. He didn't seem to mind, and the scent of blood in the air only added to the animalistic desires of their youkai sides. But this wasn't about them, and neither had much trouble remaining in control.

Kagome gasped, holding her breath as one of Inuyasha's hands worked its way south. Her stomach muscles rioted under the rough skin of his palm, and the feel of his claws sent delightful shivers cascading through her body. Then he paused, earning himself a needy whine from the hanyou beneath him. If that didn't lift his ego, the feel of her as he slipped his hand inside her hakama certainly did. Her pleasured groan pierced the night air as he pressed his fingers against her junction, and began to rub the spot just above her clit. Torturing her with little touch, but enough to drive her insane.

Kagome trembled violently, her entire body quaking as he touched her directly. The strange and wonderful sensations nearly obliterated her consciousness; she was nothing more than a quivering mass of flesh, sustained only by his tender ministrations at her core. Tremors rocked her as he brushed over her clit, returning to the growing bud once he glimpsed her reaction. Wanton mewls escaped her as she twisted and thrashed, the overwhelming heat building to new heights within her. But just before the waves broke, sending her hurtling into oblivion, she pulled his hand away. She too wished her first climax to come later, when they were locked together in the most intimate of ways. Inuyasha was dismayed and puzzled for a moment, but quickly caught on as Kagome began untying her hakama. Heart thundering wildly with anticipation, he helped her remove them, and ridding himself of the last of his clothing also. For awhile he just stood there, transfixed by the woman before him. She was staring at him with eyes consumed by lust, not even attempting to conceal herself from his fervent gaze. Surely a mortal being couldn't possess such supernatural beauty? But even if Kagome wasn't an immortal deity sent into the world to fill his life with love and happiness, he knew he would spend the rest of his days worshipping her as if she was. And he could start by making her first time as pleasurable for her as he knew it would be for him.

Kagome raised her arms, beckoning him to join her with a brilliant smile. Grinning in return, he settled between her legs as she expected, but then surprised her by rolling them over so she was once again straddling his lap. It seemed so long ago that they had been in this same position, fully clothed, just kissing each other. Now they were about to make love; he almost couldn't believe it. Kagome favored him with a questioning look, as if to say 'in this position?' He nodded, shoving down the urges of his youkai side, which was none too happy with the submissive position. But at least now she was in control. She could set the pace, determine what her body could handle, and hopefully minimize her pain. She still looked doubtful, probably fully understanding of what his youkai wanted, but he forestalled any comment by leaning in for another kiss. This one was short and relatively chaste, more about reassurance than anything else, but it did the trick. Kagome flashed her most dazzling smile of the night, truly touched that he was being so considerate of her and ignoring his baser instincts.

Using his shoulders for support, she lifted herself up on her knees, hovering over his erection. He helpfully lined it up with her entrance, and she began lowering herself. When the head entered her, they locked eyes, neither willing nor able to look away as she slid herself further down his shaft. The intrusion was uncomfortable for Kagome, but not overly painful, at least not at first. The feeling intensified, becoming a hot, burning sensation, but even then it was not as bad as she feared. Then suddenly she could sink no further; she was pressed flush against Inuyasha, his length fully inside her.

She started to rise up but Inuyasha stopped her, wanting to give her time to adjust. He also desired to cherish this moment, and to that end he gently gripped Kagome's chin and pulled her in for another kiss. Before they knew it, the ebb and flow of the kiss had taken over their bodies, causing them to gyrate against each other. Satisfied that her grunts and whimpers were of pleasure rather than pain, Inuyasha finally allowed her to rise off his lap. He didn't even try to suppress his low growl as she pulled halfway out and settled back down, only to repeat the motion in short order.

They settled into a rhythm rather quickly, a leisurely one because of the mechanics of their position and their unfamiliarity with the act of lovemaking. Kagome still felt some discomfort, but even that faded over time, replaced by a wondrous friction that soon encouraged her to ride him harder and deeper. But whether it was because it was his first time, or because of Kagome's pain, she still continued to push him toward that mind-blowing climax while he tried to hold himself back. He intended to keep his self-made promise to make her achieve orgasm first, even if it seemed stopping really would kill him this time.

It almost did, he reflected as he held Kagome against him and rolled them over, pinning her beneath him and stifling her movement. Suspending his orgasm at the last moment required the last ounce of his self control he possessed, plus some extra restraint he pulled from who knows where. Lunging forward, he sank his teeth into the mark once more which by now was getting more tender than anything else, Kagome moaned louder as Inuyasha bit down harder, then she relaxed, wrapping her legs around his waist and moving her hands up and down his quivering back. Making scratch marks that would possibly bleed in the future. Releasing his bite hold, Inuyasha started thrusting in a measured, deliberate pace. Snaking one of his hands down between them, he found the little button that had brought her so much pleasure before. She stiffened at the sudden contact, her whole body jolting as she cried out. Quickening his movements, he continued to rub her clit, and her once docile legs pulled her up firmly to meet each of his thrusts. Her breath came in short bursts, eyes screwing shut as a hot conflagration blazed within her. They drove each other through the deafening thunder, the ferocious storm of sensation that sent shockwaves of lightning surging through their bodies.

Kagome cried out to the heavens as the waves finally crested and everything went white. She tightened and spasmed around him, pulling him almost immediately into his own climax, their cries of each other's names blending into one. It seemed like ages before they came down from their highs, Inuyasha reached back and unlocked Kagome's legs from around his waist, causing her to slid down his body. With one hand playing at the juncture of her tail and back, the other went up to caress her pink cheek.

"You are now my mate, for the rest of our lives."

Kagome looked up at him with eyes of liquid silver. "Longer then that...for much longer."

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**A/N: **That's the end of this story, tell me what you think and check the sequel that should be up soon. Thank you to all who reviewed and don't forget to review this chapter, your not off the hook just because this story ended. lol


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